


Invasion

by AngelicSakuraBlossom



Series: Kunoichi Kicks Ass [3]
Category: Naruto, Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Along with the Invasion, And this time she's brought a little problem, Multi, Sakura becomes the team mom, Sakura is back, Sakura is in deep trouble, She won't let anyone harm her 'kids', The younger ones love her, There's a marriage contract
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-24
Updated: 2013-11-13
Packaged: 2017-12-24 12:37:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 52,987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/940103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngelicSakuraBlossom/pseuds/AngelicSakuraBlossom
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sakura is back and ready to help Young Justice kick some butt! However, there are a few things haunting her and holding her back. Can the gang figure out what it is before they lose her, and lose the Earth to the invading forces?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Village Hidden in the Leaves

January 11

Three Years Later

Sakura walked through the village streets, nodding to villagers as she passed. A group of little kids ran in front of her, chasing after a small ball. She grabbed the kid in front and pulled him back just as a slab of concrete fell to the ground, crushing the ball. The kids froze in shock and looked up at her in awe.

"Be careful kids, the village is still being repaired," Sakura reminded them. "Why don't you go play in the park?"

"But the swings are busted, and the slide doesn't slide," a girl complained.

"Yeah, the park isn't any fun at all," a boy agreed.

"I know, I know," Sakura sighed, crouching down in front of them. "But the streets are no place to play. We just went through a war and the buildings are being repaired. What would have happened if I hadn't of come when I did, hmmm?"

"We would have been crushed," the lead boy answered meekly.

"Yes, go play in the park, it's safer. Besides, I'm sure there are some sticks lying around," Sakura smiled.

"What are we supposed to do with sticks?" the smallest girl asked, stomping her foot in anger.

"Well you could use them in a sword fight, or pretend that their staffs or escrima sticks. All it takes is a little imagination," Sakura smiled.

"That's a great idea!" The boys gasped.

"I call being the captured princess!" A young girl declared.

"We'll be your royal knights and we'll get you back!" A boy smiled.

"Tell your parents where you're heading first, alright," Sakura smiled.

"Kay!" The kids laughed, running off to their parents. Sakura smiled to herself and stood up, dusting off her clothes. She began humming and ended up in her small apartment. The room was filled with boxes, and nearly everything was packed up. Sakura smiled and her face lit up when she saw the boxes. She closed the door behind her and entered the kitchen, looking through the little remaining food she had in her possession. She finally decided to grab a protein bar and ate it quickly, throwing the wrapper in the trashcan. There was a knock on her door and the pinkette ran to the portal and opened it, frowning when she saw who was at the door.

"What do you want Sasuke?" Sakura huffed, leaning against her doorway. The Uchiha was in front of her, a small bundle of flowers in his hand.

"What, I can't come by to say hi and thank you for saving my life?" Sasuke asked, stepping around her. Sakura glared at him and closed the door behind her.

"I'm a medic Sasuke, it's kind of my job," Sakura grumbled, crossing her arms.

"Yeah, but I was your enemy," Sasuke pointed out.

"But you are still my teammate. Once a member of Team 7, always a member of Team 7. That's the promise we made each other when we were with Batman," Sakura sighed.

"What's with the boxes?" Sasuke asked.

"I'm moving," Sakura answered.

"Where?" the Uchiha questioned.

"That's none of your business, now get out of my house," Sakura ordered, pointing to the door.

"Sakura, what happened?" Sasuke asked.

"You LEFT!" Sakura shouted. "And I moved on! NOW LEAVE!"

"Why? Why have you given up?" Sasuke asked. "I don't even know what I did wrong? Can't you at least tell me?"

"Fine, I'll tell you, while you leave," Sakura answered, opening the door. "I tried to get you to stay, I begged and I pleaded. I told you that I loved you. You knocked me out, placed me on a bench and left. And when Naruto went after you, you nearly killed him. That is what you did. No please, just go so I can finish packing."

"Say hello to Grayson for me," Sasuke muttered, leaving the house.

"I will," Sakura grumbled, closing the door behind him. She sighed and rubbed her head. "I could use a hot shower. What do you think, Cherī? Actually, a bubble bath does sound better. Good idea."

\--------------------------------------------------------

Sakura rubbed the towel through her hair as she walked through her empty apartment. She hummed to herself and sat down on her couch, turning on the TV. The pinkette was wearing a loose pink tank top and some sweatpants. She had a container of ice cream in her hand and was eating straight from it. "What?" the pinkette scoffed, staring into space. "We bought the ice cream last week and the food donations won't accept frozens. We gotta get rid of it before we leave." She rolled her eyes and took another bite just as her doorbell went off. Sakura sighed and set the small tub of ice cream down, going to the door. She pulled it open and was met with a boy a few years older than her. Sakura leaned against the door frame and glared at him.

The boy had shaggy white hair that brushed his chin. His bangs were held together with ribbons. He had pale skin and bright yellow eyes. He wore a loose, long sleeved shirt and simple jeans. A jacket was tied around his waist.

"What do you want Hiroki? I'm still trying to get ready to leave soon."

"Yes, that's why you're sitting around, watching TV, and eating a tub of ice cream," Hiroki laughed, entering the house.

"Look, I'm tired of people barging into my house without permission, now leave before I toss you out the window!" Sakura ordered.

"No can do," Hiroki shook his head, looking around at the bare walls. "Here on business. Ever notice how impersonal a house can truly be?"

"What do you want?" Sakura sighed.

"I just need you to sign these papers," Hiroki asked, pulling out a small stack of papers.

"For the last time, no!" Sakura growled, opening the door.

"You can't leave the village until you sign these," Hiroki told her. "If you do, you'll be a fugitive."

"I'm not going to be scared into signing some damn papers, now get out of my house or I'll break you bones!" Sakura shouted.

"Look I'm just trying to help you. Do you want the ANBU to come after you once you step foot out of the village?" Hiroki growled. "You either leave the village with all of its secrets and become a fugitive, or you sign these and can leave in peace!"

"Like I said, I'm not signing a damn thing," Sakura told him. "Now get out of my house before I-!"

"Do you really want to disgrace your parents this way?" Hiroki asked lowly, a smirk growing on his face.

"What parents?" Sakura growled. "My parents never gave a damn about me. It was all about Cherī. And I'm no Cherī. Now leave." Hiroki narrowed his eyes and placed the papers on her coffee table. The white haired boy walked past her, leaving her house. Sakura looked at the papers and growled, tossing them in the trash.

\------------------------------------------------

Wayne Manor

January 20

Sakura took a deep breath and pressed the buzzer next to the large gates. She noticed the video camera and smiled, waving at it.

"State your name and business," an elderly British voice commanded.

"It's me, Sakura," The pinkette answered. There was a buzzing sound and the gates began to open. Sakura smiled and walked through, the automatic gates closing behind her. She walked up the long pathway, coming to the door of the manor. Before she could open the door, it opened on its own, showing Alfred.

"It is lovely to see you again, Mistress Sakura," Alfred smiled. Sakura gave the old butler a hug and smiled, stepping into the manor. "It is good to have you back."

"What, has Jason been driving you guys insane that much?" Sakura chuckled.

"I wish," Alfred sighed.

"What's wrong Alfred?" Sakura asked, not missing the way the butler's eyes became filled with sadness.

"A lot has changed since you left," Alfred simply told her. "Would you like to discuss it over tea?"

"Tea would be lovely, thank you," Sakura smiled.

"Just set your bags down at the staircase and I'll bring them up to your room later," Alfred smiled. Sakura gave him an incredulous look.

"Alfred, you know I am more than capable of putting my bags in my room," Sakura smirked.

"It is my job to put your bags away," Alfred stated. "Do not rob an old man of his one job."

"Alright," Sakura smiled, placing her suitcase against the railing. "You sure do know how to manipulate someone." She placed her back pack and duffle bag next to it before following Alfred into the kitchen.

\------------------------------------------------------

"So, what's happened since I left?" Sakura asked, gently sipping her tea.

"First off, the part you'll probably be more concerned with," Alfred smiled, sliding a plate of cookies towards her. "Master Richard has moved out. He's moved to Blüdhaven and is protecting the city."

"So he doesn't live here anymore, well that's a bummer," Sakura frowned. "Has he joined the League? That was always a dream of his."

"No, he is perfectly fine with leading the team," Alfred informed her.

"Good for him," Sakura smiled, taking a bite out of a cookie. "And, where's Jason. He could always tell when I'm nearby. Is he at the Mountain?"

Alfred sighed, his eyes saddening. "About a year after you left Master Jason was taken by the Joker. I will not tell you the details right now, but he is no longer with us," the man said regretfully. Sakura's eyes widened and she dropped her cookie. Her hands flew to her mouth in shock, staring at him with pleading eyes. "I wish that Master Jason had set me up to this, but unfortunately it is the truth."

"Oh Jason…" Sakura whispered, tears falling down her face. The door to the kitchen opened and a young boy that Sakura did not recognize entered the room. He froze when he saw her.

"Uh…I didn't know that your granddaughter was coming for a visit," the boy muttered.

"She's not," Alfred answered simply, standing up. He picked up his empty tea cup and placed it in the sink. "I shall go take your bags to your room and then check on Master Bruce down in the cave." With that the elderly butler was gone.

"Uh, be careful, a few of the scrolls are heavy!" Sakura shouted after him. She sniffed lightly and wiped the tears from her eyes. The young boy went over to the fridge and took an apple out. He glanced at the fruit in his hand and then up at the older pinkette in awkwardness.

"I'm Timothy Drake, but my friends call me Tim," the boy smiled nervously. "What's your name?"

"Sakura, Sakura Haruno," the pinkette whispered.

"Oh, duh," Tim muttered. "Your pink hair should have been a giveaway. Dick talks about you sometimes."

"He does?" Sakura asked, a small smile appearing on her lips.

"Well yeah, but it was always in the past tense. He thought you were dead," Tim told her.

"Yeah, I guess losing contact with someone can do that. Especially when I was fighting in a war," Sakura sighed. "And then the zeta beams were destroyed when the village was and it was all a big mess."

"Yeah, he told me that the zeta beam signal disappeared. He tried to stay positive, but after a while of no contact, he just lost it and came to the conclusion you were dead," Tim told her. Sakura nodded in understanding, finishing her tea.

"Well, I should probably go unpack, get settled in," Sakura sighed, standing up.

"I was about to head over to the cave, you wanna come with?" Tim asked, looking at her nervously.

"I'll come by later," Sakura smiled. Tim nodded and began heading towards the basement door. "Tim," Sakura called, making him stop. "You never saw me, okay? I want to surprise Dick." The pinkette winked at him and pressed a finger over her lips. Tim smiled and pulled out his sunglasses setting them over his eyes.

"I didn't see a thing," Tim agreed, closing the doors behind him.


	2. Chapter 2

Batcave

January 25

Sakura stepped into the cave, seeing Batman at his usual spot. She walked over to him and looked at computer.

"The missing 16 hours…" She whispered, looking at the information of Rimbor. "Do you think you'll be alright going there?"

"I have to," Batman grunted. "It's the only way to clear our names."

"Yeah, but if someone attacks you, you can't fight back," Sakura pointed out.

"Well then, it's a good thing I have a good self control," Batman muttered. The pair stood in silence as Batman switched to cameras of Gotham. "Why are you still here?"

"What, you don't enjoy my company?" Sakura smirked.

"No, you should be in Blüdhaven, with Nightwing. Tim is the only person that knows you're here," Batman reminded her.

"I wish that revealing myself was such an easy task," Sakura sighed. "But you know what I would have to do once I see him."

"Tell him the truth," Batman told her.

"I was going to, but the situation is delicate," she said with a frown. "I don't want to hurt him or ruin things."

"We leave tomorrow," Batman told her. "When we do, you will come out of hiding. I'm not going to keep you hidden any longer."

"I know," Sakura nodded. "And I appreciate that you've kept my arrival a secret for so long. I know it must be hard."

"Yes well, Richard doesn't exactly live here anymore, and he tells me when he's coming," Batman told her.

"I promise that I'll come out of hiding tomorrow," Sakura sighed, leaning against his chair. "Now I really do feel like a fugitive."

"You aren't," Batman assured her. "You're just trapped in a situation you can't escape."

"So not even you can help me," Sakura said quietly.

"I've looked it over, and no, I can't," Batman told her. "Don't give up hope; you will get out of this."

"Thanks Bruce," Sakura smiled. "Well, I'm going to bed. Don't stay up too late." Batman rolled his eyes under his cowl and he glanced from camera to camera, keeping an eye out.

"I mean it, doctor's orders," Sakura told him, before going back up the stairs. Once she was gone Batman allowed a small smirk to form on his face and he continued to look at the shots of the city.

\--------------------------------------------------

Mount Justice

January 26

"Be careful," Nightwing told his mentor.

"I was about to say the same to you three," Batman said, looking at Nightwing, Batgirl, and Robin. "I fear we leave the more dangerous mission here, on Earth." The Bat-kids shared a look and smiled back at Batman.

"We'll manage," Nightwing assured them.

"The mission is not the only thing I'm leaving you with," Batman told them. He turned to the shadows of the mountain, narrowing his eyes. A figure stepped out, leaving the teens in shock. The figure wore a dark pink kimono dress with detached sleeves. Golden thread kept the sleeves attached to the rest of the kimono. Wrapped around her waist was a golden obi with the symbol of Konoha, made out of twisted metal, on it. The dress reached her upper thighs. She wore black spandex pants and black, high heeled ankle boots. Her hair was light pink and reached her shoulders. Her green eyes were nervous as she looked over them.

"Hi," Sakura greeted them nervously.

"Who's she?" Wonder Girl asked.

"I'm Kunoichi-!" She was cut off by a squeal. The pinkette was nearly pushed to the ground by an excited Martian.

"Oh! I'm so glad you're back! I've missed you so much!" M'gann laughed.

"Calm down, M'gann, I still need to introduce myself to Wonder Girl," Sakura laughed.

"You know who I am?" the blonde gasped.

"Well yeah, I mean, the 'W's on the chest, are kind of a tip, and the fact that you're saying goodbye to Wonder Woman, and Batman gave me the profiles of every new member of the team," Sakura added. "I'm Sakura by the way. Sakura Haruno."

"She's been here for the past few days. She wanted to take care of something before coming back, but I can no longer help her with her task," Batman explained. "Batgirl, you're going to have to help her."

"Why can't Nightwing?" Batgirl asked.

"Because it was Sakura's request that you help instead of Nightwing," Batman answered.

"Alright then," Batgirl shrugged.

"Time to go!" John announced. The adults walked over to the Green Lantern.

"May the gods be with you all," Wonder Woman told them as they were encased inside a green bubble. The bubble turned into a space ship, which slowly lifted off of the ground and flew off into the night sky.

"So, you're back," Nightwing smirked, glancing at Sakura.

"Yes, I am back," Sakura nodded.

"Sorry Nightwing, but I get her first," M'gann giggled, nuzzling the pinkette's cheek.

"Don't hog her," Conner smiled, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, you aren't the only one that hasn't seen her in three years," Raquel agreed.

"Guys guys, I have an easy way to settle this," Tim told them.

"What do you suggest?" Cassie asked.

"Simple, let her decide," Tim answered. The teens turned to Sakura who blinked and smiled at them.

"Do I really have to say it?" she asked.

"Before you spend private time with him, tell us about what it was like! What happened?" M'gann gasped.

"Yeah, I mean, you obviously won, you wouldn't be here if you didn't," Raquel nodded. "But how did it happen?"

"Perhaps we should move inside the mountain for the story," Barbra suggested.

"And then with a final clash of chidori against rasengan Naruto beat Sasuke," Sakura smiled. The entire team was gathered around the living room of the mountain, listening to Sakura recount the final battle of the war. "They were both knocked out by the force of the combined attacks, but Naruto stayed conscious longer, meaning he won. Unfortunately, he was in a coma for about two weeks after the battle."

"What happened to Sasuke?" Cassie asked eagerly.

"We took him back to the village and healed his wounds," Sakura answered. "Once he woke up, he told us that he had no memory of what happened after the night he left. The force of the two chakras affected both of them, but in different ways. They're fine now though. And Sasuke has apologized to the village for everything he has done, but they're still wary around him. And even though he has amnesia, he's still on probation."

"So what's Naruto up to?" Nightwing asked. "In one of your letters you told me that he wanted to come back with you and meet us."

"He's training," Sakura answered.

"Does he ever have anything else on his mind?" Garfield chuckled. "He's like Nightwing."

"Yes, he does, but this is special training," Sakura told the green skinned boy.

"What for?" L'gann asked.

"He's training with Lady Tsunade to become the next Hokage!" Sakura announced.

"That's great," Nightwing smiled. "That was his greatest dream."

"Yeah, he's super excited about it. Training starts next month on the first," Sakura smiled. "He said he'd try to drop by if possible."

"Oh, I hope I get to meet him! You talked a lot about him," M'gann smiled.

"Yeah, he's like a little brother to me," Sakura smiled.

"What's a 'Hokage'?" Cassie asked.

"The hokage is the leader of Konoha," Sakura answered. "Naruto is training to take Tsunade's place as leader of the village."

"That's so cool!" Garfield smiled. "He's commanding an entire village of ninjas! Plus, he is one!" Sakura laughed at the changeling. Her laughter was cut off by a yawn.

"Sorry, I've been a bit tired lately," she apologized.

"Does it have to do with this mysterious task you want my help with?" Batgirl asked.

"Yeah, it's very stressful, and Batman and I haven't made much progress," Sakura nodded.

"I can help you if you want," Dick told her.

"No, Batgirl is all the help I'll need," Sakura told him.

"Alright, well, I'm heading home," Batgirl yawned. "We'll get started tomorrow."

"See ya," Sakura said, waving goodbye.

"I think it's time Gar went to bed too," M'gann laughed, seeing him yawn.

"Oh but sis, I'm not that tired! And I want to hear more stories!" Garfield complained.

"You can hear some more tomorrow," M'gann laughed. Garfield sighed and turned into a green house cat, jumping into his sister's arms. "See you guys tomorrow."

"We should probably get going too," Nightwing nodded. "Blossom and I have some catching up to do."

"But we just caught up with her. She just told us everything that's happened," Cassie pointed out.

"Alright then, can you allow me to go somewhere with my boyfriend?" Sakura smirked. The blonde's cheek's turned red.

"By all means," Conner smirked.

"We'll see you guys tomorrow," Nightwing told them as the two headed for the zeta tubes.

\-----------------------------------------------

Blüdhaven

"This is it," Dick sighed, letting Sakura enter his apartment.

"I like it," Sakura smiled. "Nice and cozy. Plus, if it's only you, you don't need that much space." She turned to her boyfriend, glaring at him. "It is only you, right?"

"Only me," Dick smiled, wrapping his arms around her.

"Good," Sakura smiled, rubbing her nose against his. "Go get change, your suit smells."

"Alright, I'll be right back," Dick smiled leaving her alone. Sakura sat down on the couch and pulled out a stack of papers, looking at them with a frown.

Dick came back out to the living wearing a plain black shirt and some jeans. He walked over to Sakura and sat next to her, pulling her into his lap. "That what you're going to work on with Barbra?" he asked, glancing over the papers.

"Yeah," Sakura whispered. "They're for me. Which is why I won't let you help. You're too close."

"But I'd double my efforts to help you," Dick assured her. He kissed her cheek and nuzzled into her neck.

"Dick…I'm engaged…" Sakura confessed quietly. Dick stiffened underneath her, not knowing what to say. "My parents died during the war. After the war was over this guy, named Hiroki, came to me and told me that I was his fiancée. I thought he was joking, but he showed me a proof. My parents had signed a contract and arranged for us to be married when he turned 21. That was 17 years ago. And he turns 21 in July." Dick turned her around to face him. He gave her a soft kiss and smiled, pressing their foreheads together.

"Hey, don't worry. We'll find a way out of this," Dick smiled. "We've got time; we've got plenty of time."

"You don't understand," Sakura whispered. "Right now, I'm a fugitive."

"Why?" Dick asked.

"Because this is seen as running away from a binding marriage contract," Sakura answered. "It's illegal in the hidden villages; that's just the way things are. And being with you is illegal. The marriage contract states that if I leave the village to be with someone else, I'm a fugitive."

"It states that, exactly that," Dick asked in disbelief.

"Have a look for yourself," she muttered, handing it over. "Hiroki said that if I signed some papers I could leave the village without being a fugitive, but the papers said I would have to marry him. And if I were to be found having romantic relations with someone else, male or female, I would be in big trouble." She sighed and leaned against his chest. "I've read that thing several times, and I can't find anything against it."

"Wow," Dick muttered, looking it over. "I don't know who this guy is, but you have to give him credit for being thorough and covering everything that might happen. It even says that if your parents were to die before the wedding, you basically belong to this guy's family."

"I know," Sakura groaned. "Tsunade's looked it over too. The only way to get out of it is if one of us, me or Hiroki, were to die. Bruce has been helping me, but like I said, we haven't made much progress."

"Okay, now this guy is thoroughly annoying," Dick huffed, flipping through the pages. "What was this arranged marriage for anyway?" Dick asked. "I mean, these things don't happen for no reason."

"A merger," Sakura shrugged. "My parents were merchants; they came across some pretty expensive stuff. Pretty standard stuff. The merger happens and both companies share the profits, fifty-fifty. Hiroki's family deals with repairing things, like clocks, painting, antiques, making them good as new. And my family does come across some busted stuff from time to time. It was a good deal.

"Thing is, this marriage merger thing was supposed to happen decades ago, but there weren't any children born within a close age range. It was supposed to be Cherī and Hiroki, but we all know what happened to her," Sakura sighed. "So now I'm stuck with the guy."

"Don't worry, we'll fix this, I promise we will," Dick assured her, giving her a kiss. "Now why can't I help? You know that I would do anything for you."

"If you feign ignorance, then you won't get in trouble," Sakura told him. "If the elders know that you know about this contract, and are still with me, you're breaking village law as well. You could get thrown in jail or maybe even worse."

"I see," Dick nodded. "Then why'd you tell me?"

"I could never keep anything from you," Sakura answered. "Besides, it's better to know about this now, then later. I didn't want Hiroki to come, call me his fiancé in front of you and then have you get angry with me. I love you Dick, only you."

"I love you too," Dick smiled, giving her a kiss.


	3. Chapter 3

Blüdhaven

February 13

"Sure you don't want to come?" Dick asked, clipping his belt around his waist.

"Yeah," Sakura nodded. "If what Green Arrow says is true…then I don't want to be there." Sakura sighed, placing his mask over his eyes. "I don't want to see what Roy's become."

"I don't like it either," Dick muttered. "That's why we're doing this. An intervention will be good."

"Dick, if he's really that deadest on the lifestyle he's chosen to live, he won't quit," Sakura whispered, placing a hand on his cheek.

"I know, but we still need to try," Nightwing told her.

"Good luck," Sakura smiled, pulling him into a chaste kiss. "I'll see you later."

"Are you going to be fine staying here by yourself?" Dick asked. "I don't know how long this could take."

"Don't worry, I'll keep myself entertained," Sakura smiled. "Besides, I'm going to watch the launch of those new zeta shields, should be fun."

"Alright," Dick chuckled, giving her a kiss. "I'll see you later."

"Bye Nightwing," Sakura giggled.

\------------------------------------------------------

Mount Justice

"We're read," Dr. Strange announced. "The zeta shield relay satellites are all in place, activating satellites." Sakura watched the screen as the metal spheres began projecting a yellow energy shield. "Congratulations, the zeta shields are now operational!"

"Absolutely historic," L'gann smiled. The fish turned towards Professor Carr and Garfield. "Hey Professor, you should have your cave-school pupil write a term paper about this!" Garfield glared at the Atlantean and slid his finger across his neck, telling him to be quiet. "With these shields up, no alien will be able to zeta to our world. Even your Strange friend won't be able to travel to and from Rann without prior approval," L'gann smiled, turning to M'gann.

"Shields are great," Conner grunted. "But they're not going to stop a spaceship or a boom tube."

"What's a boom tube?" Jaime muttered.

"Even if it doesn't stop them, it's at least a step in the right direction," Sakura assured him.

"Not compatible with what?" Jaime growled, crossing his arms. "I swear I don't understand half of the things you say!"

"Feelings mutual," Mal responded. Jaime looked up at him and flinched, looking away with guilt.

"Where's Nightwing?" Conner huffed.

"He's taking the night off, personal business," Mal answered. "But I thought it would have to do with her." Sakura smiled up at the deeply voiced male and shook her head.

"Nothing to do with me," she smiled. "If you'll excuse me, I gotta get back. I still have to work on that case."

"Good luck," Conner grunted.

\---------------------------------------

Gotham City

Sakura sighed and leaned back on the park bench. She looked up at the sky, taking in the cloud covered night.

"Hello Sakura," a voice purred. Sakura gasped and stood up, looking at a nearby lamppost. Hiroki stepped into the light, smirking at her.

"You know, this is very cliché in a stalker way," Sakura growled.

"What, I'm just looking out for my fiancée," Hiroki smiled, walking over to her.

"Watch it; you know where you are, don't you?" Sakura growled. "One scream and a bat will be here."

"Please a grown man in tights playing 'hero', that doesn't scare me," Hiroki muttered. "I'm just here to make sure you're safe, it's my job."

"Your 'job' is to leave me alone!" Sakura hissed, turning away.

"Don't be like that, Blossom," Hiroki smiled, grabbing her arm. Sakura spun around and slapped him across the face.

"Don't you ever call me that!" Sakura spat at him. "There are only two people allowed to call me that. One is dead, and you're not the second! Now get away from me." She wrenched her arm out of his grasp and stormed away from him.

"I know you told Grayson about you're little predicament," Hiroki smirked, causing the pinkette to freeze. "You can't protect him. Once the Elders find out that he knows, he'll be sent to jail unable to help you."

"You're acting like I committed a crime," Sakura scoffed, placing a hand on her hip.

"In the eyes of the hidden villages, you did," Hiroki smirked as she turned around.

"Watch it pal, I have friends in high places, remember," Sakura hissed.

"Yes, the Hokage, her successor as well as the Kazekage," Hiroki nodded. "But you do know that even if you try to appeal and get rid of this law, all of the village leaders will have to agree with it. And they won't."

"What makes you so sure?" Sakura questioned, narrowing her eyes.

"Trust me, I'm positive. And even if you did somehow manage to convince them it could take months, even years to get the law removed. You really don't have that kind of time," Hiroki smirked. "Just marry me and I'll let you stay here."

"No way in hell! I'm not your property and I certainly don't need your permission to do anything!" Sakura huffed.

"According to the marriage contract, you do," Hiroki hissed. "I can get you into big trouble for leaving the village to be with Grayson."

"Please, that's not why I left," Sakura scoffed. "I left to be with the Young Justice Team. Because I promised that I would return and fight with them. That's why I'm here. I'm not here because of Dick, I'm here because of my friends."

"So, you're saying that you're going to break up with him?" Hiroki smirked.

"Of course not," Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Then you did come back here for him," Hiroki told her. "Or he was just a bonus."

"He's not a bonus! He's my friend!" Sakura growled.

"Sakura, you've just dug yourself in a hole," Hiroki smiled. "Have fun digging your way out. If you need help, just find me."

"Like I would ever trust you!" Sakura shouted. "Go to hell!"

\---------------------------------------------------

Mount Justice

February 14

"Happy Valentine's Day," M'gann smiled as Kunoichi entered the kitchen.

"Yeah…V-day…woohoo…" Sakura muttered, opening the cupboards. "Is there any damn coffee here?"

"No…sorry…" M'gann apologized.

"Damnit…I can't function without coffee…" Sakura growled. She felt her arm being tugged and she was pulled out of the room by Conner. "Let me go!" She muttered unconvincingly, nodding her head as she felt her eyes drop.

"Blue, waterfall room, now," Conner ordered, passing by the Hispanic teen.

"Bye Robin," Jaime sighed, following Conner and the pinkette. Conner entered the waterfall room and let go of Sakura. The pinkette swayed on her feet before falling forward. Conner quickly caught her and found that she was fast asleep.

"Sakura…?" the Kryptonian called in confusion.

"Maybe she needs coffee…my dad is practically useless unless he has some," Jaime suggested.

"We don't keep coffee here, not since Garfield moved in," Conner growled, trying to shake the pinkette awake.

"The fuck do you want?" Sakura growled, punching him in the face. Conner stumbled backwards and clutched his cheek, muttering a small "Ow."

"You okay?" Jaime asked, trying to steady the girl.

"I just want some damn coffee…" Sakura growled, sitting down.

"Ummm…will some chocolate suffice for now?" Jaime asked, taking a chocolate bar out of his pocket.

"Gimme," Sakura grumbled, taking the bar. She unwrapped it and broke off a chunk, eating the treat. "So what did you need me for?" Conner huffed and crossed his arms.

"You need to help Jaime with his scarab," Conner answered.

"Help me with what?" Jaime asked.

"Yeah, you need to be more specific," Sakura nodded, eating another piece of chocolate. "I can't exactly teach him with a suit I don't even know anything about."

"His scarab talks to him, you figure what you should teach him," Conner huffed, leaving the room.

"Um…how can you help with that?" Jaime asked, watching her eat the last of the chocolate.

"Simple, my older sister's soul is trapped in my body. To put it in easier terms, she's basically my scarab," Sakura answered. "I guess I can train you with how to have a little more control over it. But that will start when I get back," Sakura answered, standing up. "That chocolate will only last about an hour. I need coffee."

"Wait, you can really help me?" Jaime asked in shock as she left.

"Duh, why do you think I didn't get the strange looks you got," Sakura answered. "People knew about my sister. I can answer her in my head, but sometimes I just don't feel like it."

"I did wonder why you never got weird looks," Jaime nodded.

"See ya soon for training Jaime," Sakura waved, walking through the zeta tube.

"Wait, what are we going to be doing-!"

Recognized Kunoichi

"-exactly…" Jaime trailed off as she was already gone. "Great…" He glared over his shoulder and growled. "Will you just shut up?"


	4. Chapter 4

Qurac

February 19

"Investigating the origin of the bomb that destroyed the Krolotean invasion force is still a top priority," Nightwing told the girls. The girls were on the bioship, heading towards Bialya, while Nightwing was debriefing them from the cave. "We suspect that the bomb may have been smuggled to Earth by means of a boom tube. The Watchtower sensor scans detected that Bialya has had an increase in boom tube activity. Alpha squad, your mission is to-"

"Sneak behind enemy lines, stakeout known boom tube hotspots and find alien tech matching the bomb!" Cassie interrupted excitedly. She pressed the 'W's on her shirt and her costume entered stealth mode. "Oh, and don't get caught or create an international incident, right?"

"Yep. That about covers it," Nightwing smiled.

"Nice job girl," Sakura praised. Cassie smiled and beamed proudly.

"Psimon?" M'gann asked, her eyes narrowing.

"We have confirmation that Bialya's telepathic enforcer is still catatonic in a hospital in Qurac," Nightwing informed her. "From his last encounter with you," he added. Sakura let out a low whistle.

"You left that guy in a catatonic state for over five years?" Sakura gasped, looking at the Martian. M'gann shrugged sheepishly, looking away. "Remind me not to get on your bad side." Nightwing cleared his throat and Sakura turned around, smiling nervously.

"Sorry Birdie…first time out in a while. Continue," she chuckled weakly. Nightwing smirked and the girls could tell that he rolled his eyes under his mask.

"Bialya's dictator Queen Bee is another story," he said, snapping back into serious mode. "Her ability to control all men is the reason why Alpha squad is an all female squad for this mission." Sakura and Barbra glanced at each other with knowing smirks and looked back at him.

"Is that so?" Sakura hummed, leaning forward with a devilish smirk.

"Tell me, would you have felt the need to justify an all male squad for a given mission?" Barbara smirked. The other girls blinked before glaring at him. Nightwing's jaw dropped a little and he looked away nervously.

"Um…the…there's no right answer for that…is there…" Nightwing stuttered trying to regain his train of thought.

"No there isn't," Barbara smiled.

"You are in so much trouble when I get back," Sakura laughed.

"N-Nightwing out," he said quickly cutting off the transmission.

"Queen Bee isn't the only woman that knows how to mess with a man's mind," Barbara boasted. The other girls laughed and Barbra soon joined in, creating a light and airy atmosphere.

"But I wasn't kidding," Sakura commented. "He will be in trouble once we get back."

"What are you going to do?" Karen asked.

"Simple, I'm going to have him on his knees begging for forgiveness," Sakura smirked.

"That I gotta see," Barbara laughed.

"You might not want to," Sakura smirked. "My method might be…unsuitable for viewing audiences."

"Wow you are a pervert!" Barbara laughed.

\----------------------------------------------------

Bialya

February 20

The girls looked over the ridge of the sand dune, observing the base. "All the other boom tube hotspots have been busts…but…"

"But this much security must be protecting some big deal alien stuff, right?" Wonder Girl asked, interrupting Batgirl.

"We don't know that for sure, but it is a pretty safe bet," Kunoichi told her.

"Our job is to find out why there's so much security," Miss Martian stated. "Batgirl, you take the south hangar, I'll take the North, Bee, the middle. Kunoichi, choose whichever you'd like."

"I'll go with Batgirl," Kunoichi answered. "Bats gotta stick together."

"Alright, Wonder Girl, you hold position," Miss Martian ordered.

"What?" Wonder Girl gasped through the mind link. "Why can't I go in?"

"Because you're 'Wonder Girl' honey," Bee answered. "If you were Stealther Girl then you could go in."

"But I can do this!" Wonder Girl insisted.

"No one is denying your enthusiasm, Cass, but we need to be quiet. If we were in a fire fight, there's no one I'd rather have beside me," Batgirl told her.

"But we're trying to avoid a fight, and we need a lookout," Miss Martian said. "Use the psychic link at all time. The Bialyans have the tech to intercept our radios. If all goes wrong we scatter and meet and the rendezvous point. Clear?"

"Clear!" Batgirl, Kunoichi, and Bumblebee nodded. The four looked at Wonder Girl who sighed.

"Clear," she whispered. With that the four girls left silently. "Oh! I mean, clear!" Sakura looked over at Batgirl and smirked, knowing that Wonder Girl had just noticed they were gone. The two girls ducked behind a few barrels.

"Uh Kunoichi…" Batgirl whispered, tugging on her own suit. Sakura looked down and noticed that her costume was still colorful. She pressed the metal insignia on her obi and the dark pink turned black while the gold obi and strings became grey. The rope that held the metal insignia turned to a darker red.

"Let's go," Sakura ordered, placing her hands on the wall. Batgirl nodded and took out her grappling hook, shooting it over the top of the building. While the red head used the hook to run up the wall, Sakura pumped chakra into her feet and ran up silently. The two touched down on the roof at the same time. While Batgirl put away her grappling hook Sakura took the cover off of a protruding vent. The two girls climbed into the vent and crawled downwards into the warehouse, with Batgirl in the lead.

\-------------------------------------------------

The two girls froze in the vents as they heard an alarm going off.

"Miss Martian? What's going on?" Kunoichi asked, only to get no response.

"I can't contact Miss Martian," both girls told the other. They blinked before chuckling lightly.

"I guess bats really do think alike," Batgirl smiled.

"Yeah, now we just have to figure out what's going on," Kunoichi sighed, crawling forward. There was a small gasp and the pinkette blinked trying to look over Batgirl's shoulder.

"Girl, you look like turkey stuffing on Thanksgiving," Bumblebee laughed quietly. The ninja snorted, trying to stifle her laughter.

"Thank you, that's very helpful," Batgirl grumbled.

"So this was y'all's escape route?" Bumblebee asked in disbelief, gesturing to the cramped vent.

"No, we were already in here when the alarm went off and the link came down," Batgirl huffed.

"Bee, what happened?" Kunoichi asked.

"No idea. We should get to the rendezvous point and find out. But we can't go through the hangars, they're sealed up tight," Bee sighed. Batgirl grunted and reached into her utility belt, slowly and painfully bringing a device in front of her.

"I've scanned the air shafts. They connect all three hangars together but they also seem to connect to a large chamber 20 meters below us," Batgirl told them.

"Well then, let's go," Kunoichi muttered.

\---------------------------------------------------------

Bee flew out of the vent and looked around before giving the two girls the go ahead. Kunoichi flipped out of the air shaft. They stepped up and took in the large chamber. It looked like an ancient chamber used for rituals. There were hieroglyphics on the wall, crumbled pillars. Along one wall was a few high tech computers with Bialyan soldiers stationed there.

"Can you say Temple of Doom?" Bee muttered in awe. "This place must be thousands of years old. What do you make of it?"

"It reminds me of the extraction chamber that the Akatsuki used to take demons out of their host bodies," the pinkette whispered.

"What do you think Batgirl?" Bee asked, gaining no response.

"She's already gone," Kunoichi told the bee. The shinobi scaled the rocky walls and hid herself among the stalactite. She jumped from hanging rock to hanging rock, silently following Batgirl. Bee kept up and they watched as the red head crouched next to some capsules.

"They're filled with children," Bee whispered in horror. Batgirl turned around to look at the capsules, stepping back when she noticed the same thing.

"Psimon," Kunoichi hissed lowly, watching the telepath brain blast Batgirl.

"Put her with the others," Psimon ordered with a smirk.

"Are you serious?" Icicle Jr. said as Mammoth dragged Batgirl by her cape. "The rest of these kids are runaways and strays, they won't be missed. But she's a bat brat! What do you think will happen when people discover that she's gone?"

"Batman himself is out of the picture. And if anyone else misses her well…" Psimon chuckled. "Psimon says he just doesn't care." Devastation threw an arm around Psimon pulling him close.

"Psimon…I like the way that pretty brain of yours…thinks," she all but purred. Kunoichi bit her tongue to suppress the gag that rose in her throat.

"Thank you Devastation," Psimon said. "Now help Mammoth load the cargo, 'bat brat' included, onto the plane. Shimmer prepare for takeoff and go upstairs to confirm the flight plan. I want this bird in the air in ten minutes." The two muscled villains wheeled the cargo onto the pain while Shimmer opened the hatch.

"There's our exit," Be whispered to the pinkette. Kunoichi nodded and silently jumped to the edge of the cave.

\----------------------------------------------------

"It's been too long," Wonder Girl panicked. "Something's happened to Bee and Batgirl, and Kunoichi and its all my fault! If I hadn't of gotten spotted we wouldn't be in this mess! Nightwing's gonna punish me big time if he finds out about this!"

"Cassie, calm down," Miss Martian said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Every mission can take an unexpected turn. We recover and adapt, that's rule one."

"Couldn't have said it better myself," Bee smiled, flying over to them. Kunoichi flipped over a sand dune and landed next to them.

"Bee! Kunoichi! You guys are alive!" The blonde gasped. Since Bumblebee was shrunken Wonder Girl attached herself to Kunoichi, giving her a hug. "Oh! Nightwing isn't going to kill me for getting you captured and possibly killed!"

"Was that really in doubt?" Bee grumbled, placing her tiny hands on her hips.

"Wonder Girl…you can let me go now…" Kunoichi said, trying to push her away. The younger girl gasped and let go of the pinkette. "And Nightwing wouldn't kill you for getting me in trouble. I do that enough on my own."

"Have you seen Batgirl?" Miss Martian asked.

"Yes, she's been captured. There's no time to lose. We'll brief you both on the way," Bee nodded. "I have a plan."

"You didn't tell me about any plan," Kunoichi muttered.

"Yeah well, you were sticking to the ceiling, in plain sight, trying to stay out of sight. I didn't want to accidentally bring attention to you," Bee pointed out.

"That is true," Sakura nodded.

\------------------------------------------------------

Sakura stood at the edge of the hatch, crouched and ready. While she was under the opening Wonder Girl flew above it. They secretly watched the plane take off, flying towards them. At the same time the hatch doors began to close.

"Go time!" Kunoichi told the blonde. They both placed their hands out, stopping the hatch in its place. The doors groaned and struggled against the force. Wonder Girl pushed more strength into her grip and tore the doors off, much to the surprise of Kunoichi. She righted herself before she lost her footing on the rocky canyon wall.

"Alpha! A little help here please!" Batgirl shouted through the comm. link. Wonder Girl grabbed Sakura and flew them to the plan.

"Devastation!" Wonder Girl shouted, catching the woman's attention. She flew towards her and tossed Sakura who kicked the muscled woman in the face, pushing her back.

"Stay away from my sister!" Kunoichi shouted. Devastation fell back and gripped the wing, trying to hang onto the plane. Mammoth jumped onboard, smiling viciously at them. "Oh! Dibs on Mammoth!" Kunoichi called.

"All yours!" Wonder girl smiled, waving her arms forward in a mock bow. "I want a rematch with Devastation anyway." Kunoichi smirked and ran forward, pulling her arm back. Mammoth growled and caught her punch. Kunoichi growled and swung her other fist only to have it caught as well. The monster smirked at her, only to have the ninja smirk right back. The pinkette flipped over him and crossed her arms. Mammoth fell, his arms crossed. The pinkette pulled her arms out of his grip just at Devastation slammed into Mammoth. Wonder Girl flew over to Kunoichi and they both looked down at them with grins.

"You may have gone toe-to-toe with Wonder Woman, but we've trained with her," Wonder Girl boasted.

"This fight was over before it even began," Kunoichi told them. They both pulled back their arms and punched them off the wing of the plane. Miss Martian and Bumblebee caught up with them, flying beside Wonder Girl.

"We did it!" the blonde cheered. The three landed on the plane beside Kunoichi just as a machine was thrown at the plane, tearing off the wing. Kunoichi gasped and gripped onto the plane as the other three girls were thrown off. The plane swerved and hit the rock wall, tearing off the other wing as well. The wingless jet slid out of the hangar, falling to the ground below. Wonder Girl rushed past them, grabbing the nose of the plane and trying to make it stop.

"It's too heavy!" She shouted.

"For me too!" Miss Martian agreed. "Kunoichi!"

"Don't look at me! I'm a sitting duck!" The shinobi shouted, as her chakra slipped and she slid back a few inches. "See!?"

"Time for plan B!" Miss Martian declared. The bioship flew up to the plane and created a claw to grab the ship. The bioship forced it into a curve, flying it to safety as the other wing fell to the ground, exploding.

"Alright!" Sakura cheered.

"Woohoo! Yes!" Wonder Girl laughed into the night. She let go of her hold on the plane and flew over to Kunoichi, grabbing her. "That was awesome!"

"It certainly was," the pinkette agreed.

\--------------------------------------------------------

Mount Justice

February 20

"Psimon planted mental suggestions into his doctors and nurses months ago," Nightwing sighed. "They've been tending to an empty hospital bed all this time. I'm sorry."

"It was bound to happen eventually," M'gann sighed.

"So, there was no sign of alien tech?" Nightwing questioned.

"None, but what we found was strange enough," Bumblebee answered.

"It was clear to Shimmer that Queen Bee was acting like a middle man, delivering abducted humans to an unknown partner," M'gann informed him.

"We questioned all the abductees and most of them were runaways or orphans," Sakura told him. "They were taken after the explosion on Malina Island that destroyed it and the Kroloteans," Batgirl continued.

"So, if the Bialyans aren't kidnapping humans for the Kroloteans, then who is this unknown partner?" Nightwing questioned.

"Another unanswered question," Cassie huffed, holding onto her arm.

"New questions are what keep an investigation going forward," Nightwing said, stepping up to her. "You saved lives and got each other home safe. That's a successful mission in my book. Good work Alpha." Batgirl smiled and wrapped an arm around Cassie, pulling her close.

"Speaking of Alpha," Sakura smirked, turning to Nightwing. The other girls instantly recognized the look in her eyes and giggled. "You, sir, are still in trouble for trying to justify an all female squad. What do you have to say for yourself?" Nightwing gulped quietly and took a step back.

"Uh…I have to say…sorry…?" Nightwing answered nervously.

"That sounded almost like a question," Sakura informed him.

"Luckily for him, his punishment will have to wait," Batgirl commented.

"Aw? Why? This was getting good," Cassie pouted.

"Yeah, why ya stopping her?" Bumblebee asked.

"Because, before the mission I wanted to talk to Sakura about the case we're working on, I think I might have found something," Batgirl answered.

"You did?" Sakura gasped, running over to her.

"Yeah, follow me," Batgirl nodded. The pinkette followed the redhead to the zeta beams.

Recognized Batgirl

Recognized Kunoichi

\----------------------------------------------------

Batcave

"So, what did you find?" Sakura asked. The two girls sat down at a table, and looked at the contract.

"Well, it wasn't much," Barbara hummed. "But remember the part where it was to say that you belonged to Hiroki's family if your parents were to die before the wedding?"

"Yeah," Sakura nodded, turning to the page.

"Well, I looked at some old hidden village laws regarding marriage contracts such as these, and it said that if one party did not know about the marriage before their parents death, and are perfectly capable of taking care of themselves, they don't belong to the other family. You're your own person," Barbra explained.

"Well it isn't much…but it's something, at least now I can get them off my back," Sakura sighed, flipping through it. "Hiroki's parents called me last night, told me that they wanted me 'home' and treated me as if I was their daughter. At least I can legally make them stop that."

"Sorry I couldn't find anymore," Barbara apologized.

"Its fine, you're doing your best," Sakura sighed. "This is just an extremely tight contract. We'll find a way out eventually."

"Yeah, I just hope its sooner rather than later," Barbara agreed.


	5. Chapter 5

Mount Justice

February 28

Robin, Garfield, and Sakura walked towards the mission room. They saw Nightwing working on something that they couldn't quite make out.

Decryption completed. Translation completed.

"Is that the Krolotean intel?" Robin asked.

"What Krolotean intel?" Garfield questioned.

"The data files that M'gann and J'onn recovered from Malina Island before it was destroyed," Nightwing answered.

"Noted," Garfield muttered.

"Do you mean that information they gathered by turning into Kroloteans and basically eavesdropping?" Sakura asked.

"Yep," Nightwing nodded. "What, ninjas don't gather information by eavesdropping?"

"Well, not often," Sakura answered. "We normally gather our information from inside sources, or torturing someone into submission."

"Apparently, the Kroloteans were gathering humans to use as guinea pigs," Nightwing told them.

"Like, experimentation guinea pigs?" Sakura asked.

"Yes. They were hoping to find something," Nightwing answered. "Something inside us."

"What did they want to find?" Robin asked.

"There's no English word for it," Nightwing told them. "The closest translation is metagene."

"What's a metagene?" Robin asked.

"Never 'met-a-gene- I didn't like," Garfield winked, elbowing the other boy. Sakura quickly covered her mouth, preventing her giggles from slipping through.

"Honestly, you remind me so much of Naruto and Konahamaru," the pinkette chuckled.

Warning! Unknown energy impulse detected!

The four watched as a swirl of electric energy formed in the center of the room, forming a machine that dropped to the ground with a heavy 'thunk'.

"Stand ready," Nightwing ordered, taking out his escrima sticks. Sakura took out her kunai, and Robin took out his electric Bo staff while Garfield raised his hands, ready to attack. The door to the machine opened and smoke poured out. They could vaguely see two red hands grip the edge of the opening. A body jumped out of the machine.

"TADA!" He cheered. The person in front of them was clothed in a red and white suit, with red gloves and shoes. Over his ear were ear pieces that had lightning bolts sticking out of them. He had auburn hair that was slightly messy and wavy at the same time. Yellow tinted goggles covered his eyes. He was roughly the same age as Tim and Garfield.

Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert!

"Computer, lockdown cave," Nightwing ordered.

"And turn off the damn siren," Sakura hissed, covering her ears.

"Well, I think we found our unknown energy impulse," Garfield muttered.

"Impulse?" The boy the boy repeated with a chuckle. "That's so crash! Catchy, dramatic, one word. Like Nightwing," he flashed behind the older teen and then ran over to the pinkette, smiling at her. "Kunoichi," he was suddenly behind Tim, placing a hand on his shoulder. "and Robin." He was beside Garfield next, "And Beast Boy! Except that's two words. Blue Beetle's two words! Hey! Is he here too?" He flashed over to the hallway entrance. "Nevermind! Impulse can find that out for himself!" With a quick laugh the speed demon was off.

"Beast Boy, Robin, take him down, now!" Nightwing ordered. Beast Boy turned into a cheetah as he and Robin took after 'Impulse'.

"We're crash?" Nightwing repeated, looking at his girlfriend. Sakura shrugged and shook her head.

"Maybe it's something good?" She suggested.

"Let's get ready. If I can't catch him I need you to scramble his nervous system," Nightwing ordered. "But for now, track his movements."

"You can count on me!" Sakura nodded, running over to the computer. She brought up the security system and looked through the video feed. "Beast Boy's got him cornered in the boy's shower….never mind. BB just got drenched…poor kitty." Sakura muttered. "Robin has him in the living room and Impulse just escaped. Also, he declared 'limbo time' when Robin took a swing at him."

"Where is he now?" Nightwing asked.

"Heading our way and increasing speed," Sakura answered.

"Hide," Nightwing ordered, taking out a handful of steel marbles. Sakura ran up the side of the cave wall as Nightwing hid beside the entrance. Impulse ran across the walls and on the ceiling. He slid to a stop at the end of the marbles.

"Ha! You can't catch me that easy-!" He was cut off as Nightwing rushed at him, punching him in the chest. Impulse fell to the ground and Nightwing quickly cuffed his wrists behind his back and his legs together.

"Now that was crash," Nightwing smirked as Sakura flipped down beside him.

"For you maybe…as for me…I'm totally feeling the mode," Impulse groaned.

"You're about to feel something else," Nightwing told him. "Kunoichi, scramble him." Sakura nodded and walked over to Impulse.

"Hey, what are you going to do to me?" Impulse asked, trying to crawl away.

"Relax, I'm not going to hurt you," Sakura assured him, reaching out her hand. She placed it on his head, rubbing his hair. Impulse let out a gasp and fell back. His foot twitched and the red head gasped. "Just scramble your nervous system. You try to move a finger and your ear twitches, try to twitch your ear and foot moves," Sakura told him. "It'll wear off, once we've questioned you."

"Oh yeah…I'm totally feeling the mode," Impulse sighed.

\------------------------------------------------------

"So you're a tourist…from the future?" Robin asked in disbelief.

"Why so surprised?" Impulse asked. Robin and Sakura maintained their disbelief and Garfield just looked on in confusion. "Look look, guys, why don't we all just be friends? I'm really one of you, a part of the heroic legacy. The name's Bart Allen, you know, grandson of Barry Allen, the Flash."

"Noted," Garfield nodded. "Not believe, but noted." He smirked and crossed his arms as his monkey tail swung behind him playfully.

"What's not to believe?" Impulse asked. "I've clearly got Flash's speed, his amazing good looks. Frankly I can't wait to meet him, you know, back in his prime."

"Just because you have super speed doesn't mean you're related to Flash," Sakura told him. "Kid Flash blew himself up in an experiment to try and get Flash's powers. You could have done the same. Or your speed could have just manifested with no proof that it came from Flash."

"You have to have the genes in order to get the powers," Impulse smirked.

"Oh, do you really wanna try me, I'm a doctor," Sakura smirked, glaring at him.

"I know," Bart nodded.

"Well Bart, coming here from the future must have worked up quite a thirst," Nightwing said, walking towards them. A glass of water was in his hand.

"Thanks," Bart smiled, accepting the water when Nightwing tipped the glass towards him. Impulse stopped and pulled back, rather smoothly considering his nerves were still scrambled. "I know what you're trying to do. You're trying to get a DNA sample, you need my spit." Impulse quickly spit in the cup and pulled back with a smile. "That's such a Dick Grayson thing to do."

"How did you…" Robin trailed off, looking at Nightwing in surprise.

"See! I know stuff only a future boy would know!" Impulse smiled. "Dick Grayson, Tim Drake, Garfield Logan, and Sakura Grayson."

"You're name's Tim…and yours is…Dick?" Garfield asked.

"Oops, spoilers," Impulse winced. "This secret identity thing is so retro. You can call me Impulse, or Bart, Bart Allen, Bart 'Impulse' Allen, it's all crash."

"Wait a minute," Sakura shouted. "Can we go back to that 'Sakura Grayson' comment?"

"Uh…sure…what about it?" Impulse asked.

"Why did you call her that?" Nightwing asked. "Her last name is Haruno, not Grayson."

"You mean you two haven't gotten married yet? Spoilers," Impulse winced once more.

"Married?" Sakura shouted, her face matching her hair.

"You two get married?" Garfield asked. "That is so awesome!"

"Okay, let's move on from that subject please," Nightwing requested, his cheeks pink as well.

"Alright then, do you think it might be possible he's from the future and that he's telling the truth?" Robin asked.

"Tell us something we don't know, yet!" Garfield demanded, pointing at him. "When do I become leader of the team? When do I join the Justice League? When do I get my own reality series?"

"Wow, the family is just a bunch of tv stars," Sakura chuckled.

"Sorry BB, I never was the best history student. Besides, we can't risk altering the time stream," Bart told them. "We do that and we're all feeling the mode."

"And the mode would be bad?" Garfield asked.

"Doesn't get much worse. Always better to crash the mode," Bart informed him.

"Uh….noted?" Garfield replied uncertainly.

"You seemed to have no problem blabbing that Birdie and I get married," Sakura muttered, crossing her arms with a blush.

"Sorry, that was a slip," Bart admitted. "I honestly thought you two were married already. Like I said, not the best history student."

Recognized Malcolm Duncan

"Oh that sounds like a door opening somewhere," Bart said. "And that's my cue!" His hands and feet began moving at great speeds and his handcuffs fell off. "See ya!" Garfield reached out to grab him as he ran off, but missed.

"He vibrated his molecules right through the handcuffs, and his nervous system is back to normal!" Sakura gasped.

"Don't worry! The paragon falcon is the world's fastest bird!" Garfield assured them. He quickly turned into a green bird and flew off.

"Doesn't stand a chance does he?" Tim sighed, taking the glass of water.

"Nope, Impulse is too fast," Nightwing sighed, pulling up a holoscreen. "But at least we can track him."

"You planted a tracer?" Sakura asked.

"Dick, it'll fall off at his speed," Tim told him.

"It won't, he drank it," Nightwing smirked. Robin's eyes widened under his mask and he held up the glass of water for him and Kunoichi.

"Subcutaneous micro tracker in the water…nice," Tim smiled.

"Thanks," Nightwing said. "It looks like he's making a beeline for Central City." He held up his phone and pressed a button. "Hey, I need your help. There's a speedster heading straight for Central City. He says he's the grandson of Barry. Alright, bye." He hung up. "Kid Flash is on his way." He pressed a button on the holoscreen and a screen appeared with an image of the Flash.

"Barry Allen."

"Barry, there's an Impulse coming your way," Nightwing told him.

"What kind of Impulse?"

"A speedster," Nightwing answered.

"Another speedster," Barry confirmed.

"He says he's your grandson," Nightwing told him.

"My what?" Barry asked.

"You're grandson!" Another voice answered. The three identified it as Bart's and the line went dead.

"Well, hopefully they can handle it," Nightwing huffed.

"Do you mind telling me why some kid I don't even know greeted me, with Beast Boy chasing after him?" Mal asked as he entered the mission room.

"It's a long story, but I'm sure Nightwing will be able to fill you in," Sakura told him, heading for the zeta tubes. Nightwing ran over to her before she could enter.

"Where are you going?" He whispered.

"I need to go somewhere," Sakura answered just as quietly.

"Is what Impulse said bothering you?" he asked.

"No, just the opposite," Sakura confessed, her cheeks becoming pink once more. "Ever since we started dating…I truly couldn't imagine myself with anybody else. And then Hiroki showed up saying that I was his fiancée and I didn't have a choice. I wasn't just mad, I was crushed. Now here's this kid from the future saying we're married," Sakura smiled. "I have to get back to the Batcave and demolish this contract. Don't you want that too?" Sakura asked.

"Of course I do," Nightwing smiled, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. "I was happy when he said that too. I would love for that to be our future." Nightwing assured her. He pressed his lips against hers, wrapping his arms around her waist. Sakura smiled into the kiss and wrapped his arms around her neck. "Good luck," Nightwing whispered, rubbing their noses together.

"Thanks," Sakura smiled. She let go of him and quickly entered the transporter.

Recognized Kunoichi

Nightwing heard a throat clear behind him and he turned around seeing Mal and Tim with smug smirks.

"So…you two are going to get married, huh?" Mal chuckled.

"Robin!" Nightwing shouted.

"Hey I just took the liberty of explaining things," Robin shrugged with a smirk. "And in true bat fashion, I didn't leave out any details."

"Robin, you are in a lot of trouble," Nightwing growled.

\-----------------------------------------------------

Batcave

"Wait a minute, so this kid from the future showed up at the cave and let it slip that you and Dick are going to get married?" Barbra asked.

"Yes, that's why I've decided to renew my efforts. We really have to find a way to break this contract now," Sakura nodded. "And since Bart said that we get married that must mean that we find a way to save me!"

"I don't know, there are several possibilities," Barbra reminded her. "Hiroki dies, you two end up getting a divorce and Dick's actually your second husband; there are several scenarios."

"I know that, but I want it to be this one," Sakura told her. "I want Dick to be my first, last, and only marriage. You aren't going to stop helping me just because of that, are you?"

"No of course not," Barbra assured her. "I just wanted to remind you that there are several possibilities, and getting you out of this contract might not be the way you end up married."

"Yeah, I get that, but still, I'm not going to give up!" Sakura declared.

"I'm not going to give up either," Barbra smiled.

"Thanks Babs," Sakura whispered.

"It's my pleasure Sakura."

\---------------------------------------------------

Mount Justice

February 30

"Bart," Sakura called, seeing the speedster.

"Yeah?" the redhead asked.

"I'm sorry you couldn't return home," Sakura apologized.

"No big deal. I'll live," Bart shrugged. "Hey, I might even get to see myself grow up. And my parents, how many kids get to do that?"

"Not many," Sakura laughed. "Bart, I just want to ask you something."

"Sorry, I can't give away spoilers," Bart told her.

"I know, I just want to know if you were telling the truth," Sakura told him. "Do I really marry Nightwing?"

"Yeah, you totally do. I've seen a few pictures," Bart nodded. He was caught off guard when Sakura hugged him.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"For what?" Bart asked in confusion. Sakura pulled back with a smile.

"Right now, I'm engaged to somebody, somebody that I really don't like. I'm being forced into a marriage I want no part of. And I haven't been able to find a way out of it yet," Sakura told him. "Telling me that I'm going to marry Nightwing…that was the best news I could have ever gotten right now. It gave me so much hope."

"Oh, well then crash!" Bart smiled. "I'm so happy I could help you like that!"

"I am too," Sakura giggled, kissing his cheek. "Thanks again!" She laughed, leaving him alone in the hallway. Bart's cheeks were bright pink and he mumbled out a reply.

"That was so crash!" he cheered.


	6. Chapter 6

"Man, I've never experienced such heat before," Barbra groaned.

"Yes, it is a bit hot, but it's not that bad," Sakura smiled.

"How do we even know if we're going in the right direction?" Barbra asked.

"I've travelled here dozens of times, we're on the right track," Sakura smiled. A few minutes passed in silence. "Look, there it is!" the pinkette gasped, pointing at the giant wall ahead.

Village Hidden in the Sand

March 13

"Alright!" Barbra cheered. The two continued forward, their step quickening. Once they reached the wall they were stopped by the Suna shinobi.

"Passes and reason for travel," A shinobi ordered.

"We don't have passes," Barbra reminded Sakura quietly.

"They don't need passes," a male voice said from behind them. The shinobi turned around and quickly saluted the figure clothed in black. He had on purple face paint.

"Kankuro sir!" he shouted.

"Stand down, Sakura's always welcome here," Kankuro smiled, approaching the pinkette. The two embraced in a friendly hug. "How's my favorite doctor?"

"I'd be better if the circumstances of our visit were different," Sakura admitted. "But first, introductions are in order. Kankuro, this is Barbra Gordon, she's helping me get out of this damn contract. Barbra this is Kankuro, an old friend, and older brother to Gaara, the village leader."

"Pleasure to meet you," Barbra held out her head. Kankuro blinked before grabbing it a shaking it.

"It's nice to meet a member of the bat-family," Kankuro smiled. "Thought I do admit, I was hoping I would meet Sakura's little bird first."

"You're such a dork," Sakura said, rolling her eyes playfully.

"Anyway, you girls ready to go?" Kankuro asked, gesturing to the village.

"Yes please," Barbra nodded.

"What is it her first time out in the desert?" Kankuro laughed.

"More like first time travelling through the desert by foot," Sakura corrected.

"Daunting for anybody, don't worry about it," Kankuro assured the redhead.

"Can we just get inside and get to a building. Preferably one with air conditioning," Barbra huffed.

"There's no air conditioning here," Kankuro told her with a smirk. "But there are fans, Temari can lend you one, she's got plenty."

\------------------------------------------------------------

"Temari!" Sakura gasped, hugging the blonde.

"How's my favorite pinkette?" Temari gasped, hugging the girl back.

"Like I told Kankuro, I'd be better if this were under different circumstances," Sakura sighed.

"I would think so," Temari agreed. "This must be Barbra. Nice to meet you I'm Temari, older sister to both Gaara and Kankuro." The fan wielder bowed and Barbra bowed back.

"Nice to meet you too," Barbra bowed.

"How about lunch?" Temari asked.

"That would be great," Barbra smiled.

"If you buy," Sakura added.

"I guess my latest cooking attempt has gotten back to you, huh?" Temari muttered, rubbing the back of her neck.

"I heard it was a purple blob that glowed, had legs, eyes and teeth," Sakura answered.

"Yeah….who knew making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich could go so wrong?" Temari chuckled. "So I'll buy lunch and leave you two to your mission."

\-----------------------------------------------------------

"Let's see, it should be around here somewhere," Barbra muttered, looking at the directions from the map.

"Looks like Suna remodeled after the war," Sakura commented. "That's good, but now I don't know my way around. I'm just as lost as you."

"Wait, the name of the place was the Desert Desserts right?" Barbra asked.

"Yeah," Sakura nodded.

"Then we've found it," Barbra smirked, pointing to the bakery a few buildings away. The two ran forward and opened the door to the bakery, a bell ringing above them.

"Welcome to Desert Desserts, how may I help you?" a young woman asked from behind the kitchen.

"We're looking for Tsuki, have you seen her?" Sakura asked.

"She's in the kitchen, is there something you need her for?" the woman asked.

"We're here to ask her for some help," Barbra answered.

"Ah, you must be the ones that called a few days ago about the marriage contract help," the girl smiled. "Right this way." She pulled up the countertop and allowed the two girls to pass. She led them through the kitchen of busy workers, and stopped at a table filled with cakes. A woman was wearing a chef's uniform and covered in flour was decorating the cakes. "Tsuki, your guests are here." The chef looked up and saw the two girls. She smiled and put down her piper.

"Sakura and Barbra correct," Tsuki smiled.

"Yes ma'am, thank you for meeting with us," Sakura bowed.

"Oh, it's nothing," Tsuki smiled. "So, ask away." She picked up the piper and continued to decorate the cake.

"Alright, I guess we'll get down to it, how exactly did you get out of your contract?" Sakura questioned.

"Well, the contract was pretty tight, I'll give you that. I slaved over it for a few months, and I couldn't find any answers," Tsuki sighed. "I decided to let Isamu, my husband, friend at the time, in on it and we worked as hard as we could to find a way out of it. We studied that sucker for months, and all seemed lost. It had been a year since I was given the papers and we were just about to give up. We read it over a few more times and that's when it hit us. Isamu thought it was a crazy idea, and I did too, but we both agreed that it might be crazy enough to work."

"What was your idea?" Barbra asked.

"To get married of course," Tsuki smiled. "But not to the weasel that I was forced to, to Isamu, who, while we were working on the contract, I had fallen in love with. The contract said nothing about what would happen if I were to be married before this forced wedding date came. Dai tried to appeal to the Kazekage, saying that Isamu and I didn't really love each other and we probably wouldn't last that long. Dai told them that it was all fake, a plan to get me out of the marriage contract. They were right that it was a plan, but Isamu and I have lasted eleven years, about to be twelve. I even gave birth to a beautiful girl. She died when the village was attacked in the war, and not even that broke us apart. And Dai even found a woman that he truly loved, so the marriage contract was dropped."

"Great, that's just great," Sakura groaned.

"Sakura, why are you taking this badly?" Barbra asked. "I mean you and Dick both want to be together forever. I bet I can find proof that you two were made just for each other and nobody else. Why can't you marry him?"

"Darling what's wrong?" Tsuki asked, noticing Sakura's frown.

"I want to marry Dick, I really do, but I don't want it to be because we were basically forced to do it," Sakura told them. "I don't want it to be because there was no choice. I want to get out of this contract, and then have a romantic evening where he proposes, and then we spend a few months to a year planning the wedding, things like that. A marriage is supposed to be a magical and sacred event filled with love and happiness. We may be in love, but if I don't want to be forced into it."

"Sweetie, I understand your feelings," Tsuki told her, setting down her decorating tools. She wrapped an arm around the pinkette's shoulders and pulled her into a hug. "I had the same thoughts when Isamu suggested it. But I realized that I would rather be married to a man I actually loved than one I didn't. I admit that I did wish I got to go through the normal wedding things, but I'm glad I did it."

"Thank you for your help," Barbra smiled.

"Yeah, thanks it really helped," Sakura nodded.

"Anytime," Tsuki smiled. "Now, if you need anything, feel free to come back or give me a call."

"We'll be sure to do that," Sakura told her.

"Good, now, would you like to take a cake home with ya? Maybe you can give it to Dick," Tsuki suggested.

"I would love to, but I'm afraid it would be impossible," Sakura sighed. "We have to take a three day walk through the desert and then two more days to get to the nearest city with an airport."

"And we should get going right away," Barbra told her. "We're needed back at home."

"Well I understand," Tsuki nodded. "Just promise me that you come here to share a wedding cake with Dick. It'll be on the house."

"Thank you," Sakura smiled.

\--------------------------------------------------

Blüdhaven

March 20

Dick sighed as he entered his apartment, running his fingers through his hair.

"Hey," Sakura greeted from the couch. Dick looked over at her and smirked.

"Clearly I need to get a new security system," he joked, sitting next to her. Sakura laughed lightly and pecked his lips.

"Guess what," Sakura smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck and sliding closer.

"What?" Dick muttered between kisses.

"Babs and I may have found a solution to this marriage contract," Sakura told him. Dick pulled away and looked at her in shock. Sakura giggled and gently tugged off Dick's domino mask so she could see his widened eyes.

"That's great," Dick smiled, kissing her passionately.

"Maybe not," Sakura told him. "Tsuki, the woman Barbra and I went to see for help. She looked over her contract for a year and found a solution."

"What was the solution?" Dick asked.

"Dick…can you just promise me that this would be used as a last resort?" Sakura requested.

"That depends on what it is," Dick told her honestly.

"Alright," Sakura nodded. "She got out of the marriage contract by marrying someone else. And Barbra and I looked over the contract front-to-back, back-to-front on the flight home and Hiroki didn't write anything for if I was already married by the time the contract was supposed to be fulfilled."

"Well that does explain a lot, especially what Bart said," Dick muttered.

"My thoughts exactly," Sakura nodded. "But Dick, I want to marry you, I really do, but I don't want to be forced into it. I want to have time to plan it, and do the normal things couples get to do for a wedding. Plus, I'm not even eighteen yet!"

"I know, I know," Dick sighed, stroking her face. "If you don't find a way out by the time the contract has to be fulfilled, then we'll get married."

"Deal," Sakura nodded. Dick smiled and pulled her close, giving her a kiss. "Hey…is something else wrong?" Sakura asked. "You seemed upset."

"You can tell huh," Nightwing frowned sadly.

"Of course I can tell," Sakura giggled, rubbing their noses together. "Now what's wrong?"

"Blossom…there's something you need to know."


	7. Chapter 7

Mount Justice

March 21

Sakura walked down the steps into the grotto, her hands stuffed into her jacket pockets. She noticed that the younger boys were already standing at Artemis's holographic statue. Tears sprang to her eyes at the sight of the statue. She quietly walked over to the statue and stood next to Tim.

"How you holding up?" he asked quietly.

"Fine…this isn't the first time I've dealt with death, and unfortunately, it's far from being the last," Sakura sighed. "Now I'm just regretting taking that trip with Batgirl. I didn't even know Artemis was rejoining the team, and now…I never even saw her after I came back. And this is my first glimpse of her, a statue to honor her memory. That's honestly the part that hurts the most. I really should have gone to Palo Alto to visit her. That should have been a top priority…but my mind was elsewhere."

"How's Cherī?" Tim asked. "I know Artemis wasn't her favorite, especially because you looked up to her but is she leaving you alone?"

"Yeah, ever since the war ended she's only talked to me when I'm alone," Sakura nodded. "Even then, she rarely speaks up." The two stood in silence that was only shattered by the sound of crunching chips. The group looked at Bart who sheepishly swallowed the freeze dried Chicken Whizzees in his mouth.

"Sorry, mourning makes me hungry," he apologized.

"A speedster and his metabolism," Sakura smirked. Jaime glared at Bart and grabbed his shirt, dragging him away from the group.

"Somebody's in trouble," Garfield smirked. Sakura nodded in agreement and looked around, her eyes falling on the memorial for Jason. She walked over to it, staring up at the young face.

"Do you miss him?" Tim asked, stepping beside her.

"Like crazy if you can believe it," Sakura chuckled. "From the moment Batman told me that this kid, this scrawny young boy had been trying to steal the tires to the batmobile, I knew Jason was a keeper. He was like my little brother, and he knew it too. He took every opportunity to annoy me, pick a fight, interrupt me and Birdie and he was just an all around pest. But he was happy.

"Heck even Cherī adored him. He was spunky, got into trouble and never took no for an answer. He never gave up and he was just a ball of energy. Once Jason met her, he declared that I was the coolest big sister ever. I got major points for having Cherī."

"Yeah, Nightwing told me about his reaction to Cherī," Tim nodded. "Didn't he wolf whistle or something?" Sakura laughed, nodding her head.

"Oh yeah, he thought Cherī was hot. And she broke his arm for that," Sakura told him. "You know, the last thing he told me was 'Don't die alright. I don't wanna go to a fucking funeral for you.' And that was word for word too. I told him I wouldn't, and then I told him to be careful, I told him 'don't die'." Sakura felt tears escape from her eyes and flow down her face. "He told me that he wouldn't die unless I did. And here I am, and here he is."

"I'm sorry," Tim whispered.

"Don't be," Sakura sighed. "But right now, I think I'm going to refrain from travelling to the hidden villages."

"Why's that?" Time asked.

"The first time I leave, Jason dies, the second time, Artemis dies," Sakura sighed. "I'm a medic. I'm supposed to prevent these sorta things from happening. I could have saved Jason, I could have saved Artemis, yet I decided to go home, and they were both lost."

"It's not your fault," Tim assured her. "He was beaten with a crowbar and then the building blew up. Even with how fast he was going, Batman couldn't save him in time."

"Yeah, I guess," Sakura sighed, pulling him close. "Poor Batman, he really couldn't do anything. The only thing he could do was get to Jason as fast as he could. But if he had been a moment earlier, we would be down Batman and Jason. Better to lose one than to lose two." She set her head on his head and they both looked at Jason's statue. "Do you mind if I leave…I don't think I can look at another memorial much longer."

"Go ahead," Tim nodded.

"Thanks, I'll see you later." Sakura kissed his cheek and quickly left the grotto.

\------------------------------------------------------

"Hey," Nightwing greeted the pinkette. Sakura looked away from the TV and smiled at him. "Mind if I join you?"

"Sure, go ahead," Sakura nodded.

"So what are you watching?" Nightwing asked, looking at the TV.

"Don't know. I just turned it on and sort of tuned it out," she confessed.

"Why aren't you at Raquel's bridal shower?" Nightwing asked.

"I didn't know she was having one," Sakura told him. "I've been more focused on the whole case thing."

"I'm sure she'll understand," Nightwing smiled.

"Yeah, I'm sure she will," Sakura nodded.

Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert!

"There's another intruder?" Sakura gasped, jumping up.

"Let's go," Nightwing ordered, running out of the living room. The two heroes ran into the mission room, surprised to find a white haired male looking around idly, as if unaware of the several heroes surrounding him.

"Ah Sakura, there you are," he smiled, noticing the pinkette.

"Do you know this guy?" Jaime asked; his cannon blaster was pointed right at him.

"Unfortunately," she growled out.

"Okay, well who is he?" Beast Boy asked.

"My name is Hiroki Sato, and I am Sakura's fiancé," Hiroki smirked, pointing at the pinkette.

"You're the marriage contract guy!" Tim exclaimed, pointing at him in shock.

"No need to point," Hiroki growled. "And yes, I am."

"Marriage contract guy? What marriage contract guy?" Garfield questioned.

"Oh, so you haven't told them?" Hiroki smirked.

"It wasn't their business," Sakura answered. "But I guess the cat's out of the bag. After the war was over Hiroki visited me and informed me that I am engaged to him, have been since I was a child. We have a contract, one that I am trying to break right now. What are you doing here?"

"I just came to see how my fiancée was. It's my duty," Hiroki answered.

"You're really making me want to disobey Batman's law," Nightwing growled.

"Ah yes, you must be Grayson," Hiroki nodded.

"I'm wearing the mask for a reason," Nightwing growled, tightening his grip on his escrima sticks.

"Do you want us to take care of him?" Bart asked.

"No," Sakura answered. "If anyone is going to take care of him, it'll be me."

"Now hold on, I came here to propose something," Hiroki told her.

"Buddy, you aren't in any position to 'propose' anything," Mal warned him.

"Deep voice," Hiroki commented. "But when it concerns her status as a fugitive, I can."

"What are you going to do? Give the ANBU evidence that I came here to be with someone else?" Sakura scoffed.

"No," Hiroki answered. "There is a bit of a solution that can get you in less trouble and keep you from looking over your shoulder for the ANBU. I move here and join the team. I'm with you and you lose your status as a criminal."

"Why would she be a criminal?" Jaime asked. "Wait, you know hidden village law?" he asked looking over his shoulder.

"For those of us that don't have a scarab on their back with knowledge about everything," Garfield huffed.

"Because this is seen as running away from a binding marriage contract," Sakura answered. "It's illegal in the hidden villages; that's just the way things are."

"Noted," Garfield nodded.

"That's horrible," Mal muttered.

"Yeah, you want to know what else is horrible," Sakura growled. "Batgirl and I took a little trip to Suna. To visit a woman who had managed to escape from her marriage contract. Because of that trip, that trip that was forced on us because of you, I missed Artemis!" Sakura shouted, stepping closer. "Because of you and this damn contract I missed Artemis joining the team again. Because of you refusing to let me go, I missed Artemis's first mission in years. And because of you and your fucked up mind Artemis died and I was unable to save her! Because of you I missed my last and only chance to ever see her again." Tears were streaming down her face as she glared at him.

"Now that isn't my fault," Hiroki glared. "It's your fault. You could have said no to the trip and waited for this Artemis girl to come by-!" He was cut off by Sakura punching him.

"I didn't know she was coming!" Sakura screamed. Mal rushed over to her and picked her up, carrying her away from him. The pinkette screamed and thrashed against his hold, trying to get free. "And don't you DARE say it's my fault! I'm trying to get the hell away from you! It's all your fault! If you would have just gotten the hint that I don't want anything to do with you, then I would have seen her! I would have been on that mission! I would have saved her!"

"Sakura, calm down!" Nightwing shouted.

"No!" Sakura screamed, her hair darkening. "I will never forgive him!" Her green eyes turned amber and she elbowed Mal's shoulder, making him drop her. The dark pinkette ran at Hiroki, who quickly dodged her attack. Cherī pulled out a kunai and threw it at him, narrowly missing.

"Catch her! Now!" Nightwing ordered. Beast Boy turned into a gorilla and reached out his arms trying to grab her. Cherī flipped backwards, kicking him under the jaw. Garfield flew back, slamming into the wall. Robin ran forward with a battle cry, preparing his staff. Cherī caught the sparking weapon, and glared at him.

"Stay out of this," She ordered, punching him in the throat.

"Not gonna happen," Bart shouted, running around her. Cherī narrowed her eyes and twirled the electric staff. She swung it out, hitting Bart in the chest. Using the staff she slammed it against his legs and arms, finishing him with a roundhouse kick to the head. She flipped backwards just as a giant blue staple flew to where she had been standing. She turned around, seeing Jaime fully armored.

"Uh-oh…" the Hispanic teen muttered as her gaze locked onto him. Cherī raced forward readying the staff in her hands. Jaime shot into the sky, avoiding her strike. He was taken out of the air as the end of the staff slammed into the back of his suit, sending a jolt of energy through it. He fell to the ground unconscious.

"Cherī, let her go," Nightwing ordered.

"Sorry, Cherī's not here at the moment, would you like to leave a message?" she growled, running at him. Nightwing dodged her attack and spun around her, hitting her back. Cherī grabbed his arm and twisted it, causing him to cry out in pain. Mal winced as he heard a sickening crack and Nightwing fell to the ground holding his arm. Sakura looked at the tall man and narrowed her eyes.

"Calm down Sakura," Mal said lowly, gripping his shoulder. Cherī was lifted into the sky. The girls stepped into the light, staring at the dark pinkette.

"What is going on? Who's that?" Cassie asked, bearing her fists.

"Don't Cassie," M'gann ordered.

"Martian! Let me go! I have to kill him," Cherī growled.

"Zatanna," M'gann ordered.

"On it," the magician nodded, clapping her hands together. "Peels Īrehc!" She ordered. Cherī smirked as she stayed awake. "Okay, she isn't falling asleep."

"Of course I'm not, like I said, Cheri's not here at the moment, so try again," she growled.

"Fine, I will," Zatanna huffed, holding up her hands. "Peels knip deriah lrig!" Zatanna ordered. Cherī's head slowly dropped and she fell asleep, slowly returning to normal.

"That was Sakura?" Cassie gasped.

"We need to get her to the medic bay, along with everyone else," M'gann sighed.

\--------------------------------------------

"Do you know what triggered this?" Karen asked Mal, wrapping bandages around his shoulder.

"Yeah, her fiancé," Mal ordered. "He just showed up and she snapped."

"Hiroki was here?" Barbra gasped.

"Yeah, he was," Nightwing hissed as she wrapped his arm.

"Sorry," Barbra hissed.

"Oh…now I'm really glad that staff of yours didn't hit me when I first came," Bart groaned, looking at Tim. "I'm totally feeling the mode."

"What happened exactly?" Cassie asked.

"No clue," Tim muttered. He coughed violently and cleared his throat with a wince. "She got it in her head that it was Hiroki's fault that Artemis died."

"Why would she think that?" Zatanna asked.

"She said that it was his fault. If they didn't have the marriage contract, then Sakura believes she might have been able to save Artemis," Nightwing told them.

"What does a marriage contract have to do with anything?" M'gann asked.

"Sakura was promised to Hiroki when she was a baby," Barbra informed them. "I've been trying to help her out of the contract so she doesn't have to marry him. Remember that trip we took?"

"Yeah, you went chasing a lead for a case right?" Jaime asked. "My god just shut up, my head hurts enough," he groaned at the scarab.

"We went to Suna, the Sand village. There was a woman who was able to get out of her marriage contract so we went to her for help and advice," Barbra answered. "After we got off the plane, it took a collective five days to travel to the village by foot, which was the only way we could get there. We spent a day in Suna, gathering information, and then we left. The entire trip took eleven days, that's almost two weeks. We had no idea that Artemis was going to rejoin the team, much less that she would…" Barbra trailed off, biting her lip and shaking her head.

"She thinks that if it wasn't for the trip, which was because of the marriage contract with Hiroki, she would have been able to go on the last mission and save Artemis," M'gann summarized.

"That's about right," Nightwing nodded.

"But still, to think she snapped so badly that she turned into Cherī," Barbra whispered.

"I didn't…" Sakura confessed softly. The team turned to look at her and gasped, seeing that she was awake. Sakura groaned and sat up in the medical bed. "I didn't turn into Cherī."

"But we saw the transformation," Nightwing reminded her.

"Cherī…doesn't exist anymore," Sakura told them, hanging her head in shame. "I was taken by the Akatsuki once they had found out about her. They wanted to know how it was possible, how it was done. They tortured me and experimented on me just to see how I would react. To see what drew Cherī out. I told them time and time again that I didn't know. I didn't know how she got into my body, only that my parents had performed some weird twist of magic and chakra. They never believed me…well…not until Sasuke joined and told them that I was telling the truth.

"Then it was his suggestion that they…that they seal Cherī away so I could never turn into her. They managed to seal her away, lock her up and throw away the key. They locked her away but they couldn't get rid of the transformation. It had basically become a part of me, my superpower. I could no longer hear her voice, feel her presence…I was all alone." She curled into a ball, gripping her arms.

"But…I've heard you talk to her, we've all heard you talk to her," Jaime protested. Sakura shook her head and lifted her head to look at them.

"I only pretended that she was there. I couldn't cope with not having her, so I just sort of pretended that she was still there, and that everything was fine," Sakura told them.

"That's why we didn't hear Cherī in Bialya," M'gann gasped.

"And now that I think about it, your voice didn't deepen when you transformed," Nightwing noted.

"Remember when Superboy had those shield patches?" Sakura asked.

"How could we forget?" Zatanna said.

"The transformation is now like that. I get stronger, and I lose control of my emotions. My mind becomes clouded and focuses on one thing, this time it was Hiroki. Anything that got in my way, whether it was friend or foe, I attacked. It was how I got away from the Akatsuki. Cherī just pulls out my 'fight or flight' instinct and amplifies it. Unfortunately, it gets stuck on fight mode," Sakura sighed.

"So when you transformed you were you, only angrier?" Garfield asked.

"And stronger, more out of control," Sakura answered.

"Noted," the green boy nodded.

"I guess it all hit me. If it wasn't for that stupid contract that Hiroki refuses to let go, I could have been on the mission and I could have saved Artemis," Sakura sighed.

"Hey don't beat yourself up over it, there wasn't anything anyone could have done," Nightwing told her.

"Thanks but…if you don't mind…I'd like to be alone for a while," Sakura told them. She slid off her bed and silently exited the medic bay.

"Where's Hiroki?" Nightwing sighed.

"I've reviewed the footage of the fight, and he took his leave shortly after Robin attempted to subdue Sakura," Barbra informed him. "He escaped and we have no means to track him."

"Great," Nightwing muttered, rubbing his forehead.

"Don't worry, she'll be fine, she just needs some time to calm herself down," Barbra assured them.

\--------------------------------------------------------------

Sakura stood in front of Artemis's holographic image and sniffed, holding back her tears.

"I'm so sorry Artemis," she whispered. The pinkette fell to her knees, placing her arms and head on the podium. Her sobs became louder as she cried.


	8. Chapter 8

Mount Justice

March 23

Sakura stood in the hallway next to the mission room. She was tapping her foot impatiently, her arms crossed.

"Something wrong?" Nightwing asked, walking up behind her.

"He's late," Sakura sighed, relaxing her posture.

"Who's late?" Nightwing asked her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and gently pulled her closer.

"Jaime," Sakura answered, placing her head on her boyfriend's shoulder. "I'm supposed to help him with the scarab today." The pinkette sighed deeply. She wrapped her arms around Nightwing's neck and nuzzled into it. "Do you think he doesn't trust me?"

"Why wouldn't he trust you?" Nightwing asked, rubbing her back soothingly.

"I lied to him. I told him that my sister was in my body and she's not," Sakura said softly.

"Hey, it's not your fault. Besides, she was in your body, for over fourteen years," Nightwing reminded her. "You have experience; you know how to deal with sharing your body and mind with something. Who cares if you haven't for a while? The important thing is that you're helping him by using the knowledge you've attained over the years." He pecked her forehead and smiled at her.

"Thanks Birdie," Sakura smiled, pulling him in for a kiss.

"It was nothing Blossom," Nightwing chuckled.

Recognized Blue Beetle

Recognized Impulse

Sakura and Nightwing pulled apart as the two teen boys raced out of the zeta tubes.

"Ha! Left them in the dust!" Impulse cheered, holding up an unknown object.

"Left who in the dust?" Nightwing asked, walking up to them with Sakura.

"Why are you late?" Sakura demanded.

"Oh right!" Jaime hissed, slapping his forehead. "I forgot about practice, I'm sorry."

"Bart, what's that in your hand?" Nightwing inquired.

"Souvenir!" Bart cheered, pointing at it.

"Souvenirs are Beast Boy's thing, ese," Jaime huffed.

"Really? I thought it was Kid Flash's thing," Impulse muttered.

"Can we get to the point?" Nightwing ordered.

"Right, sorry," Jaime nodded. "Aqualad attacked us with the terror twins, Icicle Jr. and some ninja girl I didn't recognize."

"What did she look like?" Sakura asked.

"She wore a black and orange outfit and some weird mask and had black hair that went to around her shoulders," Jaime answered. Sakura hummed and lightly grabbed her chin, sliding into a thinking pose.

"Does it sound like anybody you know?" Nightwing asked.

"No, sorry," the pinkette replied.

"And this is how they tracked Blue," Impulse smiled, holding up the device in his hand. "I took it to make sure they couldn't do it again."

"So you brought foreign, possibly alien tech into the cave?" Nightwing said seriously. "Rookie mistake."

"Hey, ease up, they are rookies," Sakura told him.

"Sakura, they should know better," Dick told her.

"Hey, Naruto, Sasuke and I made the same mistake once remember! We brought something unknown into the Batcave after we were attacked," Sakura reminded him.

"Okay one, you three were ten, they're older than you were!" Dick told her. "Two, you three were also new to the whole superhero more complex things. You barely even knew what technology was! Everything was foreign and alien to you three. And three-"

"Jaime and Bart are new as well. Bart just started about a month ago, and Jaime joined you in December. They're both still getting the hang of things as well," Sakura defended. "They were being tracked, by Aqualad! I say they were right to take the tracking device and bringing it into the cave, which is still unknown as to whether or not that was a good idea, but at least now we can study it."

"Ummm…can we admit that bringing it in here was a rookie mistake?" Bart requested.

"Yeah, we don't want to be the reason you two fight," Jaime agreed. Sakura and Nightwing looked at each other in masked shock before nodding.

"Give it here," Nightwing ordered, holding out his hand. Bart placed the tracking device in Nightwing's hand.

\-----------------------------------------------------

The four were gathered around the holoscreen as the device was analyzed. The shrill beeping noise went off and Nightwing growled.

"Ugh! I'm an idiot!" he hissed. The four of them turned around and Superboy flew into Nightwing, knocking him back and pinning him to the floor.

"Nightwing!" Sakura gasped, running over to him. She was stopped by an orange and black clad ninja. Sakura rushed at her, punching her. The girl flipped back, dodging the punch. Sakura took out two kunai, throwing them at her. The ninja jumped to the side just as they exploded. Sakura growled and ran at the ninja, who ran towards her. The ninja flipped over the pinkette and grabbed her face, slamming her onto the ground. Sakura groaned and turned her head, watching the ninja girl quickly run over to Nightwing, and knocking him down. She straddled him and placed a collar on him.

"Sorry, no superpowers for you to turn off," Nightwing smirked. He hooked his legs around her head and threw her off of him. Nightwing stood up and ran over to Sakura, only to stop short when the collar electrocuted him.

"Nightwing!" Sakura screeched, sitting up at staring at him as he fell to the ground unconscious. Sakura looked at the female ninja, who held a trigger in her hand. "You! How dare you hurt him!" She shouted in anger.

"Kunoichi no!" Blue Beetle shouted as Sakura's hair and eyes darkened. Sakura ran forward and slammed her fists against the ninja, who rolled out of the way. A large crater was created by Sakura's strength. The pinkette redirected herself and launched her body at the female ninja, tackling her to the ground.

"How dare you hurt Nightwing!" Sakura screamed, punching the girl in the face. "You will pay!"

"Collar her now!" The ninja shouted. Tommy Terror ran at Sakura and grabbed her, picking her up. Sakura let out a scream and freed her arm, slamming it against his face. Tommy quickly tightened his hold on her and took out a collar, clicking it around her neck. Sakura screamed in pain as she was electrocuted and her form returned to normal.

"You may have…stopped my powers, but you can't stop…my chakra…" Sakura hissed, placing a hand on Tommy's arm. The blonde twin let out a shout of shock as he let go of the pinkette and fell to the ground.

"Tommy!" Tuppence shouted in horror. She tossed Beast Boy aside and ran over to her brother.

"What did you do to me?" Tommy groaned. His foot twitched and he winced in pain.

"I just rewrote your nervous system," Sakura smirked. "Your motor functions have been randomized. Move a leg and you end up moving your ear. Move your arm and then there goes your leg. Of course, that's just an example, I don't know what exactly happened, I just know that everything has been randomized."

"You'll pay for that!" Tuppence shouted. Sakura avoided the oncoming fist and punched Tuppence in the gut. She pulled her hand back quickly, clutching it. "I'm stronger than I look," Tuppence smirked, punching her in the face. Sakura's entire world went black.

\-------------------------------------------

Sakura, Beast Boy, and Impulse groaned as they came to their senses. Blue Beetle was between them, still unconscious The pinkette looked around and noticed they were inside a ship. Out the window they could see Mount Justice slowly growing smaller.

"Can't believe we didn't end Superboy when we had the chance," Tommy groaned.

"And I can't believe you wouldn't let me kill this pink haired bitch," Tuppence agreed, glaring at Sakura. The pinkette glared right back at her and, in act or childish rage, stuck her tongue out. Tuppence growled at her and was about to attack her, but was stopped by a glare from Aqualad.

"Boss still has a soft spot for his old team," Icicle Jr. huffed.

"Tigress, do it," Aqualad ordered.

"You sure?" the ninja asked.

"Do it," Aqualad repeated. Sakura looked over her shoulder and saw the maskless, black haired woman hold up a trigger. They locked eyes and for a moment Tigress froze. She then smirked at the pinkette and slammed her thumb against the button. Sakura's head whipped forward and she, Beast Boy, and Impulse watched the mountain explode. Beast Boy gasped in shock.

"No! NO!" Impulse shouted.

"Nightwing! Superboy!" Sakura cried.

"Say bye-bye to your little friends," Tommy taunted.

"There's no way they escaped that blast," Tuppence laughed.

"No…Birdie…Suppie…" Sakura whispered, tears falling down her face. "Kaldur! How could you do this? Why! Why did you betray us? You're our friend! And yet…"

"Tigress, sedate them," Aqualad ordered. Tigress nodded and walked forward, taking out three needles. She slammed it into Sakura's shoulder first. The pinkette groaned and tried to keep her eyes open but she fell asleep.

"No! Sakura!" Bart gasped.

"She's just asleep," Tigress snapped, jabbing the second needle into Beast Boy. The changeling quickly succumbed and slumped against the wall.

"Stay away from me!" Impulse shouted, trying to lean back. Tigress rolled her eyes and stabbed him with the needle. Impulse moaned and fell on his back, knocked out.


	9. Chapter 9

Star City

March 30

Barbra, Tim, and Bumblebee jumped onto a few crates and surveyed the scene. Next to the docks was a cage, filled with scared humans. Security detail was provided by Black Manta's soldiers.

"Let us go!" One of the prisoners shouted meekly. A soldier stepped aside to reveal Tigress.

"Bring out the pods," she ordered. Two soldiers pushed out carts of pods exactly like the ones in Bialya. "Let's get those pods open! We have a schedule to keep. Kaldur'ahm does not tolerate delay." The three team members ducked out of the way before Tigress saw them. They jumped onto a platform above the fenced area quietly. Barbra and Tim quietly jumped into the cage. The others gasped and turned around, murmuring in shock.

"Shhh, we're here to help," Barbra assured them.

"Why should we trust you?" a girl asked quietly. She gasped as Bumblebee flew past her. Tim unzipped his jacket and held it open. The shrunken girl dove into an inside pocket and Tim looked at them behind his sunglasses, almost questioning them. "Okay, never mind," the girl shrugged

"One per pod!" Tigress shouted. "Move!" The fence opened and the guards walked in, taking a hold of one of the prisoners. They were roughly shoved into pods and put into stasis. A manta shaped sub surfaced and Tigress looked at it before turning to the soldiers. "Okay go! Let's get them out of here!" she ordered.

\----------------------------------------------------

The bioship quietly followed behind the manta sub. It was a safe distance behind and was also cloaked.

"Good, they're leading us to Lagoon Boy and the others," Nightwing nodded.

"How can you be sure?" Wonder Girl questioned.

"Wishful thinking," Nightwing shrugged, turning off his computer.

"And the abductee shipment at the docks, how'd you know about that?" Wonder Girl questioned again.

"Aquaman came across the intel while searching for L'gann," Nightwing answered. Silence befell the ship once more.

\---------------------------------------------------

The bioship came to a stop as the manta sup docked at a beetle shaped base.

"So this is the light's partner," Nightwing said, narrowing his eyes. "That ship shares the same alien design sensibility as the bombs that blew up Malina Island and Mount Justice."

"Kinda reminds me of Blue's armor," Cassie commented.

"Miss M, you're up," Nightwing announced. Miss Martian stood up and stood at ready. Her cape disappeared and gills grew on her neck. She pulled her hood up and slid into camouflage mode. She fell through the floor and shrunk once she was completely in the water. She quickly swam over to the ship and placed a hand on it.

"Alpha squad, I'm heading onto the alien ship. Are you aboard?" She asked as she shifted through the density of the hull.

\---------------------------------------------------

"Affirmative," Barbra confirmed. "We're in some kind of docking bay. We have a visual of the aliens; AKA the Kroloteans' competitor, AKA the Light's new partner. And we've got other company," Barbra informed them. Aqualad stepped up next to Tigress and looked over the room. "Aqualad's here. If he identifies us, it's over."

"Stay whelmed, he won't be looking for you," Nightwing told them. "Just don't attract any attention."

\---------------------------------------------------

Miss Martian flew into a room and her eyes widened. "I found Gar, Bart and Sakura!" She announced, flying over to three pods. "They're all unconscious, but they're alive. And I don't see Jaime or L'gann."

\---------------------------------------------------

Barbra and Tim both looked out their pods and spotted their teammate.

"We're looking on Lagoon boy," Barbra told them. "And…Shimmer? There are four civilians and all the teens we came with." Barbra watched as the aliens left the room, the door sliding shut behind them. "We're unsupervised now, but Blue is still missing. Escape could trigger a response…do we wait?"

"Negative Alpha," Nightwing replied "Make your move before you need rescuing too. You too Miss M. Get Gar, Bart, and Sakura out of those pods."

\---------------------------------------------------

Miss Martian floated back and held out her hands. The fronts of the pods shattered and an alarm went off as suspected. She levitated the three of them out of their pods and set them on the ground.

"Garfield?" she called, kneeling next to her brother.

"I knew you'd come for me," Garfield groaned as he stood up. M'gann dropped the camouflage and Beast Boy stared at her in shock. "Are you…shorter?"

"What?" Miss Martian asked, looking down at herself. "Oh, the pressure of the water outside of the ship compacted my body."

"Thanks for the rescue," Impulse said, quickly standing up. "I'm off to find Blue!" He ran for the door and vibrated out of the room.

"Impulse!" Miss Martian called but it was no use. "Wait…Kunoichi!"The two green skinned teens gasped and looked down at the still unconscious pinkette. "Kunoichi, wake up." Miss Martian shook the younger girl, trying to wake her up. "Sakura! Wake up!" Miss Martian begged. The pinkette squirmed slightly and her eyes slowly fluttered open.

"M'gann?" She asked, sitting up. "Where am I?"

"No time for that, we have to go, now!" Miss Martian told her. "Are you able to move on your own?"

"I'll manage," Kunoichi answered. They ran towards the door and Miss Martian telekinetically pushed it away.

"Which way?"Miss Martian asked. Beast Boy sniffed the air quickly.

"This way!" he determined, running off.

\------------------------------------------------------------

Miss Martian, Beast Boy, and Kunoichi ran through the hallways quickly. Aqualad stepped into sight and Miss Martian gasped.

"You!" She growled. Aqualad stopped and faced them as they came to a stop.

"Murderer!" The girls chorused. Miss Martian's eyes glowed green and she glared at Aqualad. Kaldur let out a scream and fell to his knees, gripping his head. Kunoichi stepped forward, reaching out a hand.

"You deserve much more than Miss Martian brain blasting you," Kunoichi growled out, her hair and eyes changing. "How dare you murder Artemis." She stepped beside him and glared down at him.

Kunoichi placed a hand on his head, pumping chakra into him. Kaldur let out another scream as Miss Martian's eyes narrowed. Kunoichi tightened her hold on his head, grinding her teeth in anger.

"No…" Miss Martian whispered. She fell to her knees and stopped her psychic attack on Kaldur.

"M'gann?" Beast Boy asked, grabbing his sister's shoulders. Kunoichi looked over at them and tightened her grip on Kaldur's head. She let go of him and deftly punched him in the head, sending him flying back. Sakura raced over to M'gann, turning back to normal.

"M'gann what's wrong?" Kunoichi asked, shaking her. Tigress walked around the corner and froze.

"Kaldur!" she gasped, running over to her charge. Beast Boy roared and turned into a tiger, leaping for the two. Tigress took out a smoke bomb and threw it on the ground. Beast Boy slid to a stop as the black fog surrounded him.

"I'll take mine, you take yours!" Tigress shouted at them "And count yourselves lucky, kids!" The smoke cleared and they were both gone. Beast Boy turned back to his half monkey form and ran over to his sister.

"M'gann, come on, snap out of it," Kunoichi pleaded, shaking the girl.

"M'gann you did good. You and Sakura took out Aqualad," Beast Boy told her. "But now we need to go. The others need our help."

"Come on M'gann," Kunoichi whispered, placing a hand on her head. M'gann blinked slowly as Kunoichi's chakra worked its way through her head, clearing it.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "Let's go…" She stood up shakily and began flying forward. Beast Boy and Kunoichi followed after her.

\----------------------------------------------

Beast Boy ran up to the door of the docking bay and slammed his gorilla paws on it.

"Can't you at least get the link back up?" Beast Boy asked turning towards his sister.

"Uh Beast Boy…" Kunoichi smirked.

"Oh hey…well…never mind…" Beast Boy muttered. "Now come on! We're sealed out of the docking bay! What's going on?"

"Don't know," Nightwing responded. "I'm cut off aboard the ship."

"We're fighting Black Beetle and Shimmer," Wonder Girl answered. "Lagoon Boy, Bumblebee and Robin are already down and-Conner! Look out! Superboy's down! It's just Batgirl and me now!"

"You have to get in there!" Beast Boy shouted at his sister.

"What? How?" Miss Martian asked, as if still in a trance.

"What do you mean how? Density shift!" Kunoichi answered. "I can't break it! I'm too weak."

"Right density shifting. I can do that," Miss Martian nodded. "I can still do that." Miss Martian began to move through the door but stopped. The door pulsed with some light and the alien fell limp.

"What happened?" Beast Boy asked.

"I think…the density of the door was shifted," Kunoichi answered, pressing a hand against it. There was a rhythmical and harsh banging against the door.

"What's going on?" Impulse asked as he and Blue Beetle approached them.

"We've been locked out," Kunoichi answered.

"Let me solve that problem," Blue Beetle offered, placing a hand on the door. The door began to open and Miss Martian fell to the floor. Beast Boy went to his sister while Impulse and Kunoichi knelt down next to an unconscious Wonder Girl. Blue Beetle pressed his hand against the wall and the door to the bioship opened, allowing an abductee to fall inside.

"Little brother," Black Beetle growled. "One way or another I'm going to find a way to put you back on mode. You are of the Reach, and cannot escape it." Blue Beetle leaned against the wall and gripped his head, shaking it.

"I have to," he whispered, looking up at the bigger beetle. Kunoichi and Impulse each threw one of Wonder Girl's arms around their shoulders. At the same time, Blue Beetle charged at Black Beetle, keeping him occupied. They dragged the blond onto the bioship.

"Kunoichi!" Nightwing gasped, looking up from the controls of the ship.

"I'm fine," the pinkette hissed, placing Wonder Girl on a chair. "I'm feeling fine," she took another step and wobbled back and forth before falling to the ground.

"You don't look fine to me," Impulse told her.

"I don't know what's happening…my strength is running out…" Sakura whispered.

"Impulse, you help Batgirl and Beast Boy round up the others," Nightwing ordered.

"On it," Impulse nodded.

"Don't worry, I've got you," a boy with long hair and an orange headband assured the pinkette. He dragged her over to a wall, and set her down against it. "You feeling okay?"

"Fine…I just need some rest," Kunoichi nodded, leaning against the wall. Water began flowing into the bioship as Beast Boy swung into the ship, holding Robin.

"Everyone's aboard except Blue!" Batgirl announced.

"Going back in for him!" Impulse shouted, running towards the entrance. He was quickly pushed back by a wave of water.

"Nightwing! Seal the hatch! The docking bay is flooding our hold!" Batgirl ordered.

"Acknowledged," Nightwing nodded, closing the hatch.

"But Blue!" Beast Boy protested.

"We can't help him if we drown or get crushed by the pressure at this depth!" Batgirl told him. The bioship quickly shot away from the alien ship.

"I see Blue!" Lagoon Boy shouted.

"Go get him," Nightwing ordered, quickly opening a small hatch. Lagoon boy jumped through it and the water leaked out of the ship. After a few moments a bubble came through the floor and popped revealing Lagoon Boy and Blue Beetle.

"Nice trick," Kunoichi muttered.

\----------------------------------------------------------

Jaime gasped as he woke up. His suit quickly retracted and he sat up straighter. "It's me, it's me!" he shouted.

"Course it is," Bart smiled.

"Mission accomplished everyone, nicely done," Nightwing congratulated. "Care to take the controls Miss M?" he looked over at Miss Martian, who was staring out the window blankly.

"I think she's still basking in the glow of victory," Beast Boy said. "She and Kunoichi totally nailed Aqualad! You should have seen it! Well…actually, it didn't look like much. But I'm sure it was totally cool inside their heads!"

"What do you mean it didn't look like much?" Sakura pouted.

"Well you just placed your hand on his head and she was just battling him psychically…it didn't look like much," Beast Boy told her.

"I'll have you know I was pumping chakra inside his brain and using my medical skills to damage it and his body!" Sakura shouted at him. She hissed and gripped her head.

"You okay?" Nightwing asked, looking at her with concern.

"Yeah…I just have a headache. And my body still hurts," Sakura told him.

"Why don't you go to the back and take a nap. Check on the abductees too," Jaime suggested.

"Good idea," Bart nodded. "I bet the doctor inside of you is just begging to heal them."

"That I am," Sakura smiled. "But I can't do anything right. My chakra system is low. I need a few hours rest in order to replenish it, or some soldier pills, which I don't have on me. But I think I will take a nap," Sakura nodded, standing up. She walked towards the back room of the bioship and a few of the abductees quieted down when they saw her.

"Are you feeling better Kunoichi?" Batgirl asked, walking up to her.

"Yeah, just need some rest," Sakura nodded. She walked past the redhead and sat down in a corner of the room, curling into a ball. She placed her head on her arms, and closed her eyes. "To top all this off…I'm still stuck in that damn contract…god my life couldn't possibly get any worse right now…"


	10. Chapter 10

Taos

April 1

The abducted team members, as well as the four abducted teens, plus Neutron, were sitting in the hallway of S.T.A.R. Lab, waiting to be interviewed by Black Canary. Sakura was sitting sideways in her chair, chewing on the end of her pencil as she looked over the marriage contract to pass the time. However things were not quiet. Sakura could feel her eyebrows twitch in agitation as Impulse continued to pat his hands against his legs. Continuously. And at super speed.

Blue Beetle reached out a hand and grabbed his, glaring at him. Bart looked from Jaime to his hands before wincing.

"Oh, sorry…" he whispered, folding his hands together.

"Thank you," Sakura sighed, flipping a page in the contract. She tensed as Bart's foot began tapping at super speed. "That's it!" She shouted, drawing attention to herself. "I've got a headache from fucking hell and I do not appreciate you constantly tapping…something…and making noise! Be quiet!"

"Sorry…but I'm bored," Impulse told her.

"Then maybe you should have brought something to work on while you wait," Sakura hissed. "I don't want to hear one more sound from you, Impulse, or I will knock you out and put you in a coma! When you wake up you'll be 40 years in the future, able to resume your life! Got it?"

"Got it," Bart nodded in fear. He shrunk into his chair, shaking as she sat back down, glaring at her papers. The door opened and Black Canary and Tye stepped out.

"Thank you Tye," the blonde nodded. "Kunoichi…is there a problem?"

"Nope, just got a headache and Impulse won't sit still for one moment. Watashi wa kare ga yōji to onaji kurai zan'nenda chikau." (I swear he's as bad as a toddler) She grumbled. She noticed the sole female member of the abductees perk up and smile at her.

"Would you like some medicine? I'm sure we can find you some," Black Canary suggested.

"I've taken pills already. There's nothing you can do," Sakura huffed, turning another page.

"Alright," Black Canary sighed. "Virgil, you're next." The dark skinned boy nodded and got up, following her into the room. Tye sat down in Virgil's spot.

"Tye!" Jaime gasped standing up. The other teen looked up at him in confusion. "Time to stretch!" He corrected, stretching his arms up. "You gotta keep limber." He spun around and sat back down, trying to ignore the glares he was being given.

"Baka," Sakura smirked.

"That's not a nice thing to call your student," Blue Beetle told her.

"Well, when you make a fool of yourself, your mentor has full rights to laugh at your expense," Sakura told him. "Lord knows how many times Jiraiya-sama mocked Naruto for being an idiot."

The girl of the group smiled and walked over to Sakura, looking down at her. Sakura raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Can I help you?"

"Kon'nichiwa!" the girl greeted. "Watashi wa Asami Koizumi desu." (My name is Asami Koizumi)

"Kon'nichiwa, Asami-san, Watashin wa Kunoichi desu," Sakura smiled. "Kibun wa dō?" (How are you feeling?)

"Subarashī!" (Great!) Asami responded.

"Watashi wa shitsureina oto ni shitai ga nai…" (I don't want to sound rude, but...) Sakura trailed off nervously looking from the papers in her hands to Asami.

"Nani?" Asami asked, tilting her head.

"Watashi wa nani ka jūyōna koto ni torikunde imasu... Nanika o, watashi wa hontōni sugu ni shūryō shite iru koto." (I'm working on something important…something I really have to finish soon.) Sakura answered.

"Migi, gomen," (Right, sorry) Asami nodded, going back to her seat.

"Kawaī kodomo," (Cute kid) Sakura giggled to herself. Asami overheard her and smiled brightly.

"Uh…do you have any idea what they just said?" L'gann asked.

"They were just introducing themselves," Jaime shrugged. The door opened and Virgil stepped out. He stood next to the group of abductees, crossing his arms in irritation. Black Canary opened the door a moment later.

"Asami, if you please," She called. Asami nodded and stood up, entering the room. The hallway fell into silence once more until Black Canary opened the door with a sigh. "Kunoichi…"

"Yes?" The pinkette smirked, twirling her pencil between her fingers.

"You know what, get in here," Black Canary muttered. Sakura stood up and entered the room. Once the door closed again the teens chuckled lightly.

\---------------------------------------------

"Take a seat," Black Canary ordered. Sakura sat down next to Asami, giving the girl a smile.

"Are you ready to get started?" Black Canary asked.

"Anata hajimeru tame ni junbi ga dekite imasu ka?" Sakura translated.

"Hai," Asami nodded.

"What exactly happened when the Reach kidnapped you?" Black Canary asked. Asami quickly shot off, speaking in Japanese.

"The Reach tested me. It started as something simple; in fact it tickled a bit. But it kept on increasing and increasing. It felt like I was being torn apart from the inside out," Sakura translated. "Eventually the Reach weren't happy with me and dragged me off. They took me to this room. It was completely bare except for a table and a few weapons. They forced me onto the examination table. I could tell that they were planning on killing me. Once they had strapped me down, I began to panic. I struggled until the bindings broke and I fell to the ground, exhausted. I took off running, but I was caught before I could even make it to the door." Sakura stopped as Asami did. The young girl hesitantly reached out, lightly gripping the red paperclip holder.

"Watashi wa kore o shiyō suru koto wa dekimasu ka?" (Can I use this?) Asami asked.

"Go ahead," Black Canary nodded. Asami gripped the holder, narrowing her eyes. She let go of the holder, showing them that it was unharmed. She then placed it on her lap. Asami looked around nervously.

"Ue ni iku, Asami-chan," (Go on, Asami-chan) Sakura smiled. Asami nodded and clapped her hands, closing her eyes in deep concentration. A faint aura surrounded her. She took the holder in her hands again and gripped it tightly. The holder began to crack before shattering in her hands. Asami began speaking once again.

"They gave me this power, something I don't know how to control. It scares me. It scares me that I may hurt someone without realizing it," Sakura told Black Canary.

"And…the other kids, what happened to them?" Canary questioned.

"I don't know," Sakura translated as the young girl began speaking once again. "Sometimes they would take the teens into another room only to bring them back, more bruised, but still safe. But there were others…others that I never saw again." Asami grew quiet and picked at the pieces of plastic in her hand.

"Watashi wa ima, iku koto ga dekimasu ka?" (Can I go now?) Asami asked.

"She's asking if she can leave," Sakura told Black Canary.

"You may," Canary nodded. Asami quickly stood up and left the room. The woman sighed and rubbed her forehead. "How could anyone, no matter the species, do this to kids?"

"People are cruel," Sakura answered.

"Sakura, what happened to you?" Black Canary asked. The pinkette shrugged.

"Nothing that I haven't been through before," Sakura chuckled dryly. "They were trying to break me. Torturing me, and I don't know the reason why."

"Is that it?" Canary asked.

"Yeah, never left the pod," Sakura nodded. "I manipulated my chakra to put myself in a coma. They tried forcing me out of it a few times. I responded and woke up, always in pain, always with my body aching. I gave them signs that I was awake and in pain, just so they wouldn't kill me."

"And that's all that happened?" Black Canary asked.

"Yep, everything that I remember," Sakura nodded. "Is that all you need me for?"

"That's all for right now," Canary nodded. Sakura stood up and exited the room, going back into the hallway.

\---------------------------------------------------------------

"The Reach used our own secrets against us," Atom explained. "They beat us without firing a single shot. They even offered to take Despero off our hands. And I couldn't come up with a reason to say 'no'." the Atom huffed and crossed his arms, glaring at the ground.

"I find it interesting how the Reach Ambassador knew exactly how to get rid of the force field surrounding the Hall," Sakura hummed. "How did they explain that one?"

"They didn't have to," Atom answered. "Tseng was more concerned on our young covert ops team and the Watchtower. I hope you have some good news."

"I have a few answers," Black Canary assured him. "With the obvious exception of Blue Beetle, the Reach abductees have been two types; those with a known superpower, and those with a potential to develop one." She held up a ball of paperclips and the destroyed paperclip holder. "I believe we now know what a metagene is."

"It's a genetic anomaly that allows certain humans to develop and adapt new abilities for survival," Sakura informed them. "These abilities appear when exposed to trauma, which is exactly what they were putting the abductees through."

"The Reach is seeking to cultivate this gene and weaponize it," Black Canary summarized.

"Which is probably what brought the Reach and the Kroloteans here in the first place," Nightwing said. "And it's all thanks to the Light sending Earth's heroes to Rimbor and placing us in the intergalactic spotlight." The door to the office opened and Blue Beetle stepped into the room.

"Blue, what's wrong?" Sakura asked.

"I'm sorry, I've been hiding something," Jaime confessed. "But I can't…I just can't hide it any longer." Impulse sped into the room, grabbing Blue Beetle.

"Blue, what are you doing?" He whispered, pulling him away. "What happened to keeping quiet?"

"No! Time for the truth," Blue declared. "Impulse says that sometime in the future, I betray Earth and bring on a Reach apocalypse. That's not a future I can live with." He stepped forward and retracted the armor. "Whatever it takes, get this scarab off me." He declared, pointing at the tech stuck to his back.

"Are you sure?" Canary asked.

"Yes," Jaime nodded.

"Very well we'll prep and set up a time for as soon as possible," Sakura nodded.

"Why can't it be now?" Jaime asked. Sakura stood up and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Blue, you have to understand, we don't know how to get the scarab off of you," Sakura told him. "We have to get ready for several scenarios. And we'll probably need Bumblebee and Captain Atom to help as well."

"I want to help as well," Bart declared.

"We'll see what we can do," Sakura told him. "But, for right now, you have to trust us and wait a little while until we can get everything set up."

"Alright," Jaime said with a sigh.


	11. Chapter 11

Taos

April 7

Jaime let out a scream of pain and tightened his fists. He was sweating profusely. The Hispanic teen curled up into a tighter ball, squeezing his eyes shut.

"Shhh…it'll be okay Jaime," Sakura soothed, stroking his hair. "No pain no gain, remember."

"I know…it just hurts," Jaime hissed, breathing heavily. Sakura placed her hand on his forehead, pumping chakra into him.

"Kunoichi! Try soothing the scarab somehow!" Bumblebee shouted through the comm. link.

"Alright," Sakura nodded, sliding her hand around Jaime's back. She gently pumped her chakra into the scarab.

"He's calming down keep it up!" Bumblebee shouted.

"Sakura…remove your hand!" Jaime moaned. Sakura gasped as her hand was shocked. She pulled her arm back, cradling it.

"Atom to Dr. Cross, prepare for emergency extraction!" Atom demanded.

"Where'd the syringe go?" Dr. Cross muttered, looking around.

"Got it!" Bart said, holding up the needle.

"Extraction now!" Atom repeated. Dr. Cross jabbed the needle into Jaime's skin and quickly pulled it out.

"Did you get them?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah," Cross nodded, kneeling on the ground. He placed the needle above the ground and emptied the contents of the vial. Bumblebee and Atom grew back to their normal size. They both pulled off their helmets and took deep breaths.

"What happened in there?" Bart asked, pulling off his mask.

"There were…complications," Atom answered.

"What kind of complications?" Sakura demanded.

"I got through the first layer, but as soon as I got through the second, the scarab began producing its own antibodies. There were too many," Atom explained.

"You soothing it did help keep it from producing more antibodies, but only for a few seconds. Once you stopped, they came out in swarms," Bumblebee told her. "And when we were retreating the antibodies repaired the damage." Jaime groaned and slowly sat up, facing them.

"Easy there," Bart muttered, helping him sit up.

"What about the scarab? Can you remove it or not?" Jaime asked. The two stood up, taking off their equipment.

"I'm afraid its integration with your biosystem is too complete, and the defense is too thorough," Atom told him. "Jaime, I don't think that scarab is ever coming off. Not while you live anyway."

"I'm sorry Jaime," Sakura sighed.

"Why…why did this have to happen?" Jaime whispered, rubbing his head.

\------------------------------------------------------

Blüdhaven

April 8

The team was gathered around the TV in the warehouse as Nightwing played a video, a video featuring G. Gordon Godfrey.

"The question isn't whether our world's finest are the galaxy's most wanted. It's not about whether they've been using secret covert ops specialists against targets of their own choosing. No! It's not even whether these interstellar hoodlums have their own Watchtower in orbit over our planet!" Godfrey shouted. "No. Old G. Gordon proved that a week ago, didn't he?" he smirked at the camera. All the team members felt their hate boil up towards this man. "The question is this! How long are you going to stand there and do nothing to check these lawless 'heroes'?" He asked. "Well, I'll just wait here for you to make up your minds. If you're not in a hurry, why should I be? Meanwhile, Earth's true benefactors, the Reach, have been working openly and without fanfare, or secrets, for the betterment of all mankind. Exhibit A: Lex Corp farms. Where the Reach has partnered with noted philanthropist Lex Luthor to increase food production."

"Philanthropist my ass," Sakura scoffed, causing some of the other teens to chuckle.

"Lex Corp and the Reach are even allowing public tours. Trust, openness, and an end to world hunger! Now why didn't the League ever think of that?" Nightwing paused the video and turned back to the teens.

"Obviously any type of partnership between the Reach and Lex Luthor is bad news," he told them. "So Alpha squad is going undercover to check out Lex Corp Farms. Robin, you'll be running Alpha."

"Me?" Tim asked in shock. "Run Alpha? Right!"

"Good job kid," Sakura smiled, ruffling his hair. Robin smiled and playfully pushed her hand away.

"So, who's on the squad?" Tim asked.

"Blue Beetle," Nightwing answered.

"Whoa! I should not be out in the field ese!" Blue Beetle protested. "What if the scarab goes all Reach apocalypse on us?"

"Your scarab has had plenty of opportunities to betray us," Nightwing told him. "It hasn't. And right now its connection to the Reach may very well be our best shot at identifying what the Reach is up to." Bart sped between them, smiling.

"Well if Blue's going, I'm going!" he declared.

"I assumed as much," Nightwing said with a smile. "And last but not least, Arsenal." The original Roy Harper stepped into the light, crossing his arms. Sakura's eyes were drawn to the robotic arm on his right side. "You'll have to travel light for your first mission, nothing that can't fit under civilian clothes. Any questions?"

"Just one. Why are we meeting in this dump?" Arsenal demanded.

"With the cave, and the Hall of Justice destroyed, we don't have very many options," Nightwing answered.

"Except the Watchtower," Arsenal bit back. "It's national news now. You can't pretend it doesn't exist."

"The only people authorized for the Watchtower are Leaguers and senior members of this team. You are neither. Therefore, you are not qualified," Sakura answered.

"Good to know where we stand," Arsenal grumbled.

\------------------------------------------------------

Gotham City

"There's something I don't trust about Arsenal," Sakura muttered.

"Like what?" Dick smiled, placing his arm on her shoulder. He pulled her closer, kissing the side of her head. Sakura smiled and wrapped an arm around his waist.

"Like, I don't know, his attitude for one," Sakura answered. "He acted horribly. Like he was better than us, and that he was angry that he wasn't immediately a senior member. I feel like he's trouble."

"He was on ice for eight years. He may just need some time to get used to everything," Dick told her.

"Yeah, maybe you're right," Sakura muttered, grabbing his hand. The two walked the busy streets of Gotham in silence, enjoying the other's presence.

"Sakura-san! There you are!" Someone shouted from behind them. Sakura tightened her grip on Dick's hand and her eyes hardened. A woman ran around them, turning to face them. She had light brown hair and matching eyes. She was wearing a light blue dress suit. "Thank goodness your hair is so recognizable."

"Yeah, thank goodness," Sakura huffed. "Told you I should have worn the wig," she muttered to her companion. Dick chuckled and rolled his eyes. "What do you want Sato-san?"

"Wait, Sato? As in Hiroki Sato?" Dick asked.

"Yes, this is Hiroki's mother," Sakura nodded.

"Let's go," Dick said, turning her around. They stopped short when they saw a man standing behind them. He was wearing black turtleneck tank top and jeans. Sunglasses rested over his eyes.

"ANBU…" Sakura whispered, noticing the black swirl tattoo on his arm.

"Where do you think you're going?" the ANBU demanded.

"No where sir," Sakura answered.

"Sakura, please, you have to help me," The woman begged, stepping into their line of site.

"And why should we?" Dick asked.

"Hiroki's been kidnapped," The woman answered.

"How do you know he's been kidnapped?" Sakura asked.

"I saw it happen," The ANBU answered. He held up a few pictures. Sakura took them and examined the photos.

"That looks like…Black Beetle," Dick noted.

"That's exactly what I was thinking," Sakura agreed. She looked back up at Hiroki's mother and the ANBU. "Unfortunately, it seems like your son has been captured by the Reach. It's impossible to get him back."

"But you were rescued," the ANBU pointed out. "Not only that, you left Hiroki there."

"We didn't even know Hiroki was on the ship when we rescued everyone," Dick told them. "You'd have to ask Impulse if he saw Hiroki when he was searching Blue Beetle."

"And where is 'Impulse'?" Hiroki's mom asked.

"He's on a mission, unreachable. And if you try going after him, you will ruin the mission and could, not only put his life in danger, but the lives of the rest of his teammates as well," Sakura told them. "Sir, I know you're trained for shadow jobs and such, but so are they. And besides, things operate differently over here."

"I am well aware of how things operate," the ANBU told her. "But just know we will be talking to Bart as soon as he is back home with the Garricks. Good day." With that the ANBU disappeared. Hiroki's mother looked at Sakura.

"Please, I know you don't like us, and you hate this contract, but you have to find him," she told them.

"Why is that?" Dick asked.

"Mr. Grayson, this is none of your business," she hissed. Dick narrowed his eyes and glared at her. The woman stood her ground, not flinching.

"Do tell Rika, why I should help you find Hiroki," Sakura hissed. "You and your family are nothing but a pain in my side. Give up on me. There won't be any merger even if Hiroki and I get married, which we won't."

"And what makes you so sure?" Rika asked.

"One, I am not going to be a merchant like my parents, I'm a doctor. And secondly, we are doing everything in our power to get me out of this contract. Keeping it is just pointless," Sakura huffed.

"It is not," Rika persisted. "And you must find Hiroki because he is powerless! He isn't like you! You have to save my son!"

"On the condition that you take away the marriage contract if I do," Sakura answered with a smirk.

"I do not have the power to do that," Rika told her. "That decision falls on my husband. And he will not consent to it."

"I'd like to hear that from him," Dick told her.

"And if you can't get rid of it, then we won't save your son," Sakura told her. "Let's go Dick." Sakura and Dick turned around, leaving.

\-----------------------------------------------

Smallville

April 9

"Thanks for allowing us the use of your barn Mr. Kent," Nightwing told the elderly man. "Until we check out this Green Beetle, we can't afford to bring him to the new HQ. We've already lost too many of those."

"Well, he's not the oddest thing to ever enter this barn," Mr. Kent smiled, placing an arm on Conner's back. "Besides, I'll take any excuse to see one of my boys."

"My name is B'arzz O'oomm," Green Beetle introduced. "And obviously, I am from Mars."

"Obviously," Sakura nodded.

"But it's the beetle thing that has us wondering," Robin told him. "What's your connection to the Reach?"

"I imagine my story is very similar to yours," B'arzz said, turning to Jaime. "On Mars, I am, what you would call an 'archeologist'. Two Earth years ago, I found a scarab, which attached itself to my person."

"Yeah, that sounds familiar," Jaime nodded. "Except for the archeology part."

"And the time you found it," Sakura added.

"From the scarab, I learned of the Reach, and their plan for the galaxy," B'arzz announced. "Over a millennia ago they sent out scarabs to every planet that showed signs of primitive life. Each scarab binds with, and takes control of its native host, giving them an advanced operative for their inevitable invasion."

"But my scarab malfunctioned and wasn't able to take full control," Jaime realized. "That's why they wanted to kill me and reboot it."

"So, did your scarab malfunction as well?" Arsenal asked.

"No," B'arzz answered. "It was not prepared for the Martian physiology. That allowed me to take control of the scarab before it could take control of me."

"Still doesn't explain how you wound up here," Nightwing told him.

"For decades, the one you call Martian Manhunter has sent communications from your world to ours. TV signals. They were…entertaining," the Martian explained.

"All Martians love television," Robin chuckled.

"Indeed," B'arzz agreed.

"Martians, Earth's number one fans," Sakura laughed.

"When it became clear that the Reach were on Earth, I believed my assistance here would be required," B'arzz told them.

"We'll have to check your story with the Justice League," Nightwing told him.

"But for now, thanks," Robin smiled. The two walked off to discuss the mission. Sakura smiled and walked over to Bart, wrapping her arms around his shoulders.

"Hey, what's up?" the speedster laughed, looking over at her.

"Can I talk to you for a sec? In private?" Sakura told him.

"Sure," Bart nodded, allowing Sakura to drag him off to the other side of the barn.

"You're going to be questioned as soon as you get back home," Sakura told him.

"Why?" Bart asked.

"An ANBU, an officer from my village, wants to see if you saw someone during your hunt for Jaime," Sakura told him.

"Saw who? Maybe if you told me what the person looked like I could tell you," Bart suggested.

"Hiroki," Sakura answered. The speedster stiffened and looked at the ground.

"I did…" Bart whispered.

"What?" Sakura muttered in confusion. Her eyebrows furrowed together and she stared at the speedster.

"I did, I did see Hiroki," Bart confessed. "He was in a pod, being electrocuted, like we had been."

"Bart, why didn't you say something?" Sakura asked.

"Because you were so excited about what I told you, and I didn't want to ruin things for you," Bart answered.

"Thank you for being concerned," Sakura told him, kissing his forehead. "But do you have any idea how much trouble you're going to be in once you get back home?"

"I'll just lie and say I didn't see him," Bart told her.

"Sweetie, you can't do that," Sakura told him, brushing his cheek. "The ANBU will be able to tell if you're lying. And if you do lie to them, they are not above torturing children to get the answers they need. Bart you have to tell them the truth."

"But if he stays on the Reach ship, then you're out of the contract," Bart protested.

"Bart I know," Sakura sighed. "And trust me, I would like nothing more than to leave him there, but I don't want to see you getting hurt because you were helping me. You have to tell them what you saw, exactly what you saw. Not even a tiny detail can be wrong."

"But," Bart protested.

"Bart, do you understand me?" Sakura hissed. "If you do not tell the ANBU about seeing Hiroki, their torture methods might kill you, even with your hyper accelerated healing."

"Yes ma'am," he sighed, looking at the ground.

"Hey, I'm not mad at you," Sakura cooed, pulling him into a hug. "I just don't want to see you get hurt."

"Alright, I'm sorry," Bart whispered, hugging her back.

"It's okay, It's okay," Sakura assured him quietly.

"Is everything alright?" Jaime asked, approaching the two of them.

"Everything's fine," Sakura told him. "Have you been keeping up with your meditation and exercises?"

"Uh…well I've done the exercises but I haven't done the meditation yet," Jaime answered, rubbing the back of his head.

"I want you to meditate on the flight back, alright," Sakura told him.

"Yeah, I can do that," Jaime nodded.

"Guys, the bioship will be here in ten minutes!" Nightwing announced.

"Bart, Jaime, I don't want you two to worry," Sakura told them, wrapping an arm around Jaime as well. "Everything's going to be just fine."


	12. Chapter 12

Taos

April 9

"I'm not very comfortable with this," Miss Martians confessed. "Delving into your mind…it is…an intrusion."

"You have my permission," B'arzz assured her. "We must be able to trust each other." The corners of his mouth twitched and he smiled creepily. Miss Martian gasped and flinched back. "Does my smile displease? Is this not how people on Earth show friendship and comfort one another?"

"Yeah, but normal smiles don't look like you're psychotic and ready to kill someone," Sakura muttered. She stepped forward, placing a hand on Miss Martian's shoulder. "Miss M, I can still call someone from my village if you don't want to do this. Ino, her father, even Ibiki. Just say so."

"Kunoichi, I'd rather not involve your village," Nightwing confessed. "Especially with you being a fugitive, I don't want to chance anything."

"Come on Angelfish, you can do this," L'gann assured her. "It'll be a piece of crab cake."

"Please, proceed with the mind link," B'arzz requested. M'gann took a deep breath and her eyes began to glow green. Sakura and L'gann stepped away from her. Kunoichi took her place by Nightwing's side, watching on in silence. After a few minutes Miss Martian turned to the others and nodded.

"Green Beetle is on our side," she announced.

\-------------------------------------------------------

Green Beetle held up to bottles of a drink titled 'Reach'. "This consumable contains the Reach additive, which combines microscopic quantities of two chemicals. One is a dopamine polymerase, the other an adrenaline inhibitor. Taken over generations, they will slowly addict the entire population to Reach, and make the people of Earth placid, literally incapable of revolt."

"And that matches perfectly with my, along with Flash and Atom's, analysis of the additive that was acquired from the Lex Corp farm," Sakura announced, looking at her clipboard.

"Ah I see…still I am…tested," B'arzz realized.

"Hey, we're sorry but-"

"No," B'arzz cut off Nightwing. "It is a wise choice. As they say on your planet, all cards must be off the table."

"On the table," Jaime corrected. "Uh, never mind, you know what, just ignore me," he said quickly.

"'Placing your cards on the table' means that you're laying everything out for us to see, no secrets," Sakura told him. "To put them off the table means that you're hiding something."

"Yes, that does make more sense," B'arzz nodded. "Then here is my final 'card on the table'. My scarab informs me that the additive also contains a mitochondrial marker. It acts as a metagene tracer, allowing the Reach to identify and isolate potential superpowered individuals."

"That would make it easier to weaponize and harvest the metagene," Nightwing realized. Sakura flipped through the papers on her clipboard, examining them.

"Our analysis didn't reveal that," she announced stiffly.

"Thank you Green beetle," Nightwing nodded.

"Can't we go public with this?" Blue Beetle asked.

"I'll pass it on to Captain Atom, but the League's credibility is at a record low right now. We'll probably have to bide our time," Nightwing told him.

"And besides, we don't really have proof," Sakura pointed out. "If we go public with this, the Reach could accuse us of placing the additive in ourselves in order to make them look bad. Then they'll offer a few drinks without the additive to give to scientist to disprove us. It wouldn't look good."

"We'll figure something out," Nightwing told her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "As for now, good work team. Meeting adjourned." Nightwing approached Green Beetle. "Do you need a place to stay on Earth?" Green Beetle morphed, making himself look like a human male.

"I will find a place near Taos, and attempt to blend in," B'arzz told him.

"Good luck," Nightwing nodded. He turned to Kunoichi, who was still looking over the clipboard with furrowed eyebrows. "You coming Blossom?"

"Uh…yeah just a sec," Sakura told him, never taking her eyes off the papers. "Blue, I want you to practice your drills every chance you get, alright?" she called, looking up at him. "And add an extra half an hour to meditation."

"Yes ma'am," Blue Beetle nodded.

"As of right now though, I want you to go home and get some sleep, doctor's orders," she told him sternly. Bart ran up to him, wrapping one of Jaime's arms around his shoulders.

"Hermano! The night is young! Let's hang out!" Bart smiled.

"The night is over ese," Blue Beetle groaned, pushing him away. "All I wanna do is go home and catch some Zs. Which I'm now ordered to do. Why don't we meet up first thing in the morning, like around noon?"

"Sounds crash!" Bart cheered. "See you then!" With that the speedster ran off.

"I'm serious Jaime, get some sleep," Sakura told him, walking out of the room. Nightwing wrapped an arm around her waist as she passed him.

\-------------------------------------------------------

"Is something wrong?" Conner asked, noticing that Sakura was still looking over the papers.

"I didn't notice the mitochondrial marker," Sakura hissed. "That's impossible! I never miss things!"

"Hey, everyone misses something from time to time," Nightwing told her.

"Not me!" Sakura shouted. She flinched and sighed, looking away as the three of them paused. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell."

"Its fine," Conner told her.

"You're just stressed," Nightwing said. "You've been working late trying to stop the marriage contract and everything happening with Hiroki, and then you've been training with Blue Beetle, and I heard you're doing an experiment with Bart, and now we're adding studying this additive as well. You're overworked. Trust me, after living with Batman since I was nine, I know the signs."

"Well so do I! I'm a doctor remember," Sakura huffed. "And I also don't trust Green Beetle. There's just something about him that sets me on edge."

"M'gann said he was on our side, don't you trust her?" Conner asked.

"Of course I trust M'gann!" Sakura told him. "But ever since that raid on the Reach's ship…she's been hesitant to use her powers. I still say we should have called Ibiki and tortured the truth out of Green Beetle!"

"Do you even hear yourself right now?" Conner asked. "You're suggesting that we should have tortured someone who's been proven to be innocent!"

"Calm down Superboy," Nightwing ordered. "She's just stressed. And don't forget where she's been for the past three years." Conner closed his mouth and sighed.

"Sorry Sakura," he whispered.

"No, I should be sorry," Sakura sighed, folding her hands together, with the clipboard still in them. "My mind is still set on a war that's been over for six months now. I shouldn't be thinking of such methods for getting information."

"Why don't you go back to the manor and get some rest," Nightwing suggested.

"I can't," Sakura sighed. "I still have work to do here. I need to reexamine the additive and I also have to help Asami with her new powers. I'll see you guys later." Sakura turned around and continued walking down the hallway.

"She is overworked," Conner agreed.

"Not surprised, she's always been determined," Nightwing sighed, crossing his arms. "But I do worry for her sometimes. Let's go back to the warehouse."

\-----------------------------------------------

Sakura punched the two cement blocks that were thrown at her. They broke in half instantly at her touch. A third cement block was thrown from her side and Sakura swung her leg, kicking it. The group stared at her in shock as she lowered her leg, not even breaking a sweat.

"Subarashī!" Asami gasped, clapping her hands.

"You're going to teach her…that?" Virgil asked in shock.

"You are one loco lady," Ed chuckled.

"Well we're not going to start off with cinderblocks obviously," Sakura rolled her eyes. She turned to Asami.

"Saisho ni watashi wa dono yō ni shūchū suru anata no yoriyoi kainode, yobidasu koto ga dekimasu anata no chikara ni ōjite kantan ni ooshiesuru hitsuyō ga arimasu," (First I have to teach you how to focus your chi better so you can call upon your powers easier) Sakura told her.

"Hai hai!" Asami cheered, rushing towards her. Sakura led the Japanese girl away from the speechless boys. Sakura sat down on a blue mat and Asami sat across from her.

"Watashi wa, anata ga chūkai shitai. Anata no karada no tokutei no bubun ni subete no enerugī ni shōten o atete imasu. No wa, anata no te de hajimemashou. Anata no karada no chūō ni anata no kai o shūchū shite, anata no te ni sore o ridairekuto," (I want you to mediate. Focus on bringing all the energy to a certain part of your body. Let's start with your hands. Focus your chi to the center of your body and then redirect it to your hands.) Sakura ordered.

"Sate sate," (alright) Asami nodded. She pressed her hands together and closed her eyes concentrating.

"Fōkasu o ushinatte wa ikenai" (Don't lose focus.) Asami nodded her head and took a deep breath, concentrating. Sakura looked over to the boys that were laughing as Virgil made nails chase Ed, who was teleporting away before they could catch him. When she looked back at Asami she noticed that the Japanese girl was watching the boys as well. "Asami, shōten," (Asami, focus) Sakura giggled. Asami turned back to her, blushing at being caught. She closed her eyes once more and took another breath. Her ears twitched when Tye let out a shout as Ed ducked behind him to avoid the nails.

"Sumimasen ga, watashi wa shūchū suru koto ga dekimasen." (I'm sorry, but I can't focus.) Asami sighed, her shoulders dropping in despair. Sakura smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Sore wa, daijōbuda to iu koto wa, renshū ga nani no tame ni aru no kada. Ima, mōichido tameshite kudasai. Konkai wa, bakageta shōnen-tachi o shadan shiyou to suru." (It's alright, that's what practice is for. Now try again. This time, try to block out the idiotic boys.) Asami giggled and nodded, closing her eyes once more.

\--------------------------------------------------------------

Wayne Manor

April 10

A steady beep rang out through Sakura's bedroom. The pinkette jumped as she heard it start. She glanced at the clock, seeing that it was already around noon, she was working all night long and hadn't gotten any sleep. She suppressed a yawn and reached for her phone.

"Moshi moshi?" She answered.

"Sakura…I'm free," Jaime told her.

"You're free? What are you talking about?" Sakura asked.

"The Green Beetle, he silenced my scarab! I-I'm in control! The Reach can't touch me and use me as a weapon," Jaime told her.

"Jaime are you absolutely sure about that?" Sakura asked, narrowing her eyes.

"I'm positive. I can't hear the scarab at all. He's completely silent. And I have control, complete control of my suit," Jaime told her.

"Good for you," Sakura told him. "I guess that means our training sessions are over now, huh."

"Yeah, I guess they are," Jaime said sadly.

"Don't be sad kid; you've accomplished the goal of the training. You just used a different method, which isn't a bad thing," Sakura assured him.

"Well alright, I just wanted to tell you," Jaime said.

"I get it, goodbye Jaime," Sakura told him, before hanging up her phone. She set her chin on her hand, glaring at nothing in particular. "What are you up to Green Beetle?"


	13. Chapter 13

Blüdhaven

April 12

Sakura sighed as she laid back on Dick's couch. She flipped through the papers once more, looking them over with deep concentration. Dick walked into the living room, while adjusting his jacket sleeve. He looked over at her and sighed to himself. He sat down next to her and pulled her onto his lap, kissing her cheek gently. Sakura smiled and set down the papers, leaning into him.

"You're overworked," Dick muttered into her shoulder.

"I know…but I want to be free," Sakura whispered.

"You need a break," Dick said adamantly. "I'm taking you out." Sakura giggled and turned around in his grasp, kissing him lightly on the lips.

"And where should we go?" Sakura laughed.

"Anything that will get you out of this apartment and your mind off of the contract," Dick answered. Sakura giggled and tapped his nose.

"But there are things that can do that here," she told him.

"You're still a pervert," Dick snorted. Sakura laughed kissed his cheek before standing up.

"Give me a few minutes to take a shower and get ready alright?" Sakura asked.

"Sure thing," Dick agreed. He stood up as well and placed his hands on her hips, pulling her close. "Only if I get to join you."

"Who's the pervert now," Sakura laughed, kissing him quickly.

"You know I'm joking," Dick chuckled, pushing her towards the bathroom.

"Alright, alright, I'm going," Sakura laughed.

\----------------------------------------------------

"Ah!" Sakura sighed happily as she stretched her arms above her head. "I admit I was a bit skeptical that an action movie was going to relax me, but that was really enjoyable." Dick followed behind her, sipping on his pop.

"Didn't I tell you that you needed a break?" Dick smiled, walking beside her. Sakura smiled and hooked their arms together, nuzzling into said limb.

"You were right; a break was exactly what I needed…" Sakura trailed off.

"That was left unfinished. What were you going to say?" Dick asked dryly.

"Well…my medical license isn't exactly viable in the states, so I was also looking at colleges to get a degree that I could actually use," Sakura confessed.

"Sakura," Dick sighed. "You should worry about that after you get out of this contract."

"Fine. Then I'll just go back to the apartment and work on the contract again," the pinkette teased.

"Ah ah ah, not gonna happen," Dick smiled, pulling her back. "You need a break and a break is exactly what you're going to get. Bart, Jaime, Conner, M'gann, everyone's worried about you."

"I'm just doing my job," Sakura protested weakly.

"No one is denying that you're not doing your job," Dick told her. "You're just, working hard. A little too hard."

"Oh right, this coming from Batman's protégé," Sakura snorted.

"Okay, I'll admit I really have no room to be talking…especially with everything that's been going on lately," Dick muttered.

"Damn right you don't," Sakura agreed.

"Alright, let's move on to the next part of the date," Dick smiled, tossing his empty cup in a trash can.

"What's next?" Sakura gasped, clapping her hands together.

"Lunch at this new café that opened up," Dick answered.

"Yay!" Sakura cheered.

\---------------------------------------------------------

The couple talked happily as they waited for their meals to come. The two broke into laughter as Sakura finished telling her story about Ino's latest dating escapades. The laughter was cut off as an alarm sounded throughout the street. Civilians ran away from the jewelry store across the street. Two men wearing all black ran out of the store and into a car, quickly driving off.

"Great, there goes our peaceful date," Dick huffed, standing up.

"Agreed, and I was really looking forward to my pasta," Sakura huffed, following his lead.

"You can stay here, this is my town after all, and you're the one that really needs a day off," Dick told her.

"Oh hell no, you are seriously not leaving me here while you go off and have all the fun," Sakura stated. They both ran off, chasing the car. Sakura ran onto a nearby building, getting out of the way of civilians. She quickened her pace and caught up with the car.

Dick, who had somehow changed into his Nightwing costume, was swinging alongside her, trying to keep up with the car. Sakura narrowed her eyes and jumped off the building, flipping into the street. She landed several feet in front of the getaway vehicle, which seemed to speed up.

"Bad idea," Nightwing hissed as Sakura's fist collided with the hood of the car. The robbers flew out of the car and tumbled across the street, rolling to a stop. Sakura narrowed her eyes and turned around, facing them with anger.

"I try to take a day off, try to relax after all the stress I've been put through and all the work I've been doing but you had to choose today to rob a store, didn't you," the pinkette growled, cracking her knuckles. "Well guess what, you've gotten me pissed, and that's never a good idea." She strolled towards the two thieves, her anger rolling off of her in waves. Nightwing landed next to her and grabbed her arms.

"Kunoichi, calm down," he ordered. Two blades flew through the air, hitting the robbers in the chest. Sakura's eyes widened and she ran over to them, placing her hands on their necks.

"There isn't a pulse, they're dead," she announced.

"And that's not all," Nightwing told her, taking out the blade. "Look familiar?" Sakura's eyes widened at the sight of the kunai. She took it in her hand, looking it over.

"It's new, never been used before, well, before now," she told him. "And not only that it's exactly like the ones I have, meaning it was created in the hidden villages."

"So someone from the villages has decided to play hero in the modern world," Nightwing hummed.

"And judging by the trajectory," Sakura's eyes followed the invisible path the kunais had taken. "Oh you have got to be kidding me," Sakura growled, looking up at a rooftop. Nightwing followed her gaze and growled lowly.

"Great…this day really is ruined now," he muttered.

\-------------------------------------------------------------

"Hey there," Hiroki smiled, leaning against the rooftop wall.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were still on the Reach ship!" Sakura shouted.

"Well I was…and then the ANBU came and rescued me using what that Allen kid had said," Hiroki muttered, looking at his nails. "Took care of those robbers for you."

"No you didn't, you killed them," Nightwing told him.

"Yeah, I took care of them," Hiroki repeated, rolling his eyes.

"That's not how things are done here," Sakura huffed, placing her hands on her hips.

"Oh whatever," Hiroki mumbled, rolling his eyes once more. "Anyway, I actually have to thank the Reach. As idiotic as they may be, they actually gave me some power, power that should allow me to join your team."

"Sorry, we're not accepting new applicants," Nightwing grumbled.

"Too bad, because they managed to unlock my potential," Hiroki told them.

"What kind of power are we talking about here?" Sakura asked.

"Instantaneous travel and manipulation over the elements," Hiroki answered. "I can basically do elemental jutsu and the transportation jutsu, except I don't run the risk of dying because of a depletion in my chakra system."

"That's not impressive," Sakura muttered.

"Oh, of course, you see several impressive things as a member of that team," Hiroki scoffed. "A team that's keeping you away from your fiancé."

"A fiancé that she doesn't want, if you remember," Nightwing hissed.

"Why won't you just take the hint?" Sakura groaned. "I don't want you in my life. Just leave me alone!"

"We have a contract that says we're going to be married, just accept it already," Hiroki huffed. "There's no way to get out of it." Sakura stepped closer to him, glaring at him.

"Yes there is, and I will find a way, trust me," She hissed. The pinkette turned around and left quickly.

"Great, there goes a day of relaxation," Nightwing sighed to himself. He turned to Hiroki, glaring at him from behind his mask. "You better leave her alone, or I swear, it won't end well for you."

"Please, Batman rule number 1, no killing," Hiroki smirked. "You can't touch me."

"That may be true, but there isn't anything against torturing," the young adult smirked. "And I happen to know several people that wouldn't be above killing an asshole like you." With that Nightwing flipped off the roof, swinging through the streets.

\-----------------------------------------------------

Dick sighed as he leaned across the doorway of his apartment. Sakura was at the kitchen table looking over the contract with renewed vigor. He walked over to the table and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. He kissed the top of her head and sighed sadly.

"I have to go, don't stay up too late," he requested quietly. Sakura grunted in response, her eyes never leaving the papers. "Don't worry, we'll get you out of this. And if we don't find a way, we still have our plan B, remember."

"Yeah, I remember," Sakura nodded. "I just don't want it to come to that. Not only would I be still be practically forced into a marriage, we'll also be watched our entire lives to make sure it isn't a ruse. And now, Hiroki's back. That damn ANBU….why'd he have to succeed?"

"Hey, calm down, things are going to work out, just wait and see," Dick assured her. He pressed his lips against her cheek in a quick kiss.

"I can't just, 'wait and see', I need results," Sakura told him.

"And you'll get the results you need, trust me, you can do anything you set your mind to," Dick reminded her. "Remember, you did surpass Tsunade, as well as become one of the strongest fighters in the Leaf village. And, Tsunade wants you to take her place and become a Sanin."

"Yeah, I know," Sakura sighed. "I guess you're right. I just have to keep working and not give up."

"That's the spirit," Dick smiled. "Now I have to get going, but remember to take a break every once in a while."

"Fine, I guess I could take a break when dinner rolls around," Sakura sighed playfully. "Now go, you don't want to be late."

"Alright, I'll see you later," Dick told her, giving her one last kiss. Sakura smiled as she watched him leave. She turned back to the contract and let out a sigh.

"Well, there's no time to waste," Sakura muttered.


	14. Chapter 14

Blüdhaven

May 13

"The children we rescued from the Reach have recently gone back to their old ways," Dick told the pinkette. Emerald green eyes turned their attention to the older male in front of her. Sakura was lying across the couch, wearing one of Dick's old shirts and pink shorts. The contract was in her lap and her pink hair was pulled back into a bun.

"And by that you mean…?" Sakura pressed, not quite understanding him.

"They've runaway from S.T.A.R. Lab," he answered. Sakura sighed and rubbed her forehead. "I've already told Blue Beetle to go after them. He's friends with Tye, and Asami looks up to you. You two need to convince them that S.T.A.R. labs is the best place for them, at least until we can get the Reach off of our world."

"I don't know…I've seen what those kids have been put through," Sakura told her boyfriend. "I mean, I agree that S.T.A.R. labs is the safest place for them right now, but those scientists are hard on them. They barely get a break, and when they do, it's short."

"I know, I know," Dick muttered, running a hand through his hair. "But right now, it is the best place for them. Once you and Blue get them back to the lab, you can discuss changes with the scientists. Blossom, I really need you to do this, you and Blue are the only people they could possibly listen to. You two have a greater chance of convincing them to go back than anyone else."

"Alright, alright," Sakura agreed reluctantly.

"Thank you," Dick smiled, kissing her quickly.

"Just let me go get changed into my uniform," she sighed, getting off the couch.

\------------------------------------------------

Taos

Sakura ran across the low rooftops of Taos as she made her way towards the edge of the town.

"Kunoichi!" Blue Beetle shouted. He flew closer to her, keeping up with her. "Where are we going? We don't even know where they are!"

"The Bus Depot," Sakura answered. "They probably want to get out of Taos, and the fastest way is there!" She came to a screeching halt as the building shook.

"What's going on?" Blue shouted.

"Tye's tapped into his powers," Sakura answered, pointing at a large astral projection. The figure tossed the roof of the Bus Depot away.

"Okay, that's not what I expected," Blue muttered. He and Sakura landed in front of the scientist and security officers. "Everyone stay calm. The situation is under control."

"Blue!" Sakura shouted. The fist of the astral projection slammed down on Blue Beetle. Sakura ran over to the teen boy. The projection snatched up the other kids and began to run away. "C'mon!" Sakura shouted, running after them.

"Go back to the lab, we'll handle this!" Blue told the scientist as they passed him.

Sakura jumped into the tree line, and they chased the kids.

\------------------------------------------------------

"How'd I get-" Tye looked around and groaned. "Oh, it happened again, didn't it? I thought I was dreaming."

"No dream," Blue Beetle said, landing on one side of them. Sakura jumped out of the trees, landing on the other side of them. "Trust us."

"We aren't here to hurt you," Sakura told them. Both of them put their hands up, showing peace. "But you four need to get back to S.T.A.R."

"Look I recognize you," Virgil said, pointing to Blue, "and I see you like once a week," he said, looking at Sakura, who was walking over to Blue Beetle. "I know you're the good guys, some of the people that saved us from the Reach."

"But neither of you get it," Tye answered.

"I don't get it?" Sakura hissed, stepping forward. "Let me tell you something, Tye Longshadow. I was trained since I was three years old to be an assassin, merely a weapon for my village to use. I'm nothing but a replaceable soldier. Hell I already am replaced. But I don't care. Thanks to the training I received, I'm able to help kids like you every day, over here, in the modern world."

"And Tye, I get it as well," Blue told him. His armor retracted, showing Jaime underneath.

"Jaime…is that you?" Tye asked in disbelief.

"Yeah," Jaime nodded.

"Okay…well even I didn't see that coming…" Sakura muttered.

"But how?" Tye asked.

"It's a long story," Jaime sighed. He pulled his shirt over his head and turned around, showing them the scarab on his back. "It started with this scarab. It was created by the Reach to both give me powers and control me. So believe me ese, I get it." Jaime pulled his shirts back on and looked at them.

"Alright, so you guys are like us," Virgil grumbled, crossing his arms. "There's just one thing, you two are flying around free as a…beetle and a ninja, and we're stuck in S.T.A.R.'s personal lab rats!"

"No more," Ed told them. "Not for the Reach, or S.T.A.R.."

"He's right," Tye agreed. "You aren't taking us back there."

"What's the alternative?" Jaime asked. "We let you guys run loose until the Reach grabs you again?"

"No, we're heading to my parents place-"

"Great idea Virgil," Sakura cut off. "Just one question though, what are you going to wear to their funeral?" She crossed her arms and glared at them. Virgil flinched back and the other kids looked ashamed. "If you go back home the Reach won't hesitate to use them to get you back. They may even be killed just trying to protect you. Do you honestly want that? You kids have to think a little. You aren't lab rats, you're escaped war prisoners that are wanted. People in that category are hunted until they are either captured or dead. Trust me, I just came from a war, I know what I'm talking about."

"Sonogo, anata wa watashitachi o tasukeru?" Asami asked.

"Hai, we'll help you," Sakura and Jaime answered simultaneously.

"Dude…you speak Japanese?" Tye asked, looking at his friend.

"Scarab translates," Jaime corrected. "Don't ask."

"Alright we need a new plan," Sakura muttered under her breath.

"I have this friend, Green Beetle, he helped me, and I think he can help you," Jaime told them. "He's not far from here. I can take you to him." He turned around and started leading the way.

"Anata wa daijōbudesuka?" Asami asked Sakura. The pinkette looked at her before looking back at Jaime. She turned back to Asami and smiled.

"Hai, daijobu," Sakura assured her.

\-----------------------------------------------------

The group came to a halt as Jaime's cell phone began ringing. He took it out and pressed it to his ear. "Nightwing! Que pasa?" he asked with a nervous laugh.

"Blue, your radio's down." Nightwing stated.

"Kinda…incognito at the moment ese," Jaime told him.

"Well armor up," Nightwing ordered. "The robot Red Volcano is attacking S.T.A.R. Taos in order to steal, the body parts of an android called Amazo, probably to incorporate its tech. And since Amazo is capable of duplicating the powers of the Justice League, we can't let Volcano succeed." Sakura glared at Jaime and held out her hand.

"Uh…I'm kinda on the Runaway teen thing. Kunoichi and I have almost tracked them down," Jaime told him. "And speaking of Kunoichi, she's glaring at me and holding out her hand, so I'm going to give her the phone now."

"Good choice," Sakura nodded as Jaime gave her the phone. "Nightwing, I thought Red Volcano was destroyed five years ago. We saw him melt. And why would you place Amazo somewhere someone could get to him, instead of, oh I don't know…the Watchtower! The Watchtower is probably the safest place to store something that dangerous!"

"I'll tell you everything you've missed when you get back home, for now you need to get to S.T.A.R. Taos. Impulse and the Flash are the only ones that can get there fast enough. And they're helping tsunami victims in Reylasia."

"What about the zeta beams?" Sakura asked.

"Offline," Nightwing answered. "Volcano most likely destroyed them. You and Blue are the only ones close enough to help. Nightwing out." Nightwing hung up before Sakura could respond. The pinkette slowly closed Jaime's phone and handed it back to the Hispanic teen.

"He is going to pay for hanging up on me," Sakura muttered.

"Okay, minor setback," Jaime muttered.

"We heard," Virgil told him, "The volume on your phone is maxed out."

"Oh…I thought that was just scarab amplifying the sound," Jaime muttered.

"No it wasn't," Sakura muttered with a smirk.

"Great, what do we do now?" Jaime asked.

"You get going, you'll get there a whole lot faster than us," Sakura answered. "I'll keep an eye on the kids."

"Alright, see you later," Jaime nodded. His suit covered his body and he shot off into the night sky.

"We're not kids you know," Tye told her. Sakura turned to face him, her eyes narrowing.

"Look I just came back from a war. A war where I saw my friends suffer, and even die," Sakura told them. Tye looked at the ground in regret. "Look, I don't want to snap at you, but after going through that, anyone younger than me, and still blissfully ignorant and unaware of the things that go on in this world, they're a kid."

"We were captured by the Reach, we know the horrors that can happen," Virgil reminded her.

"Virgil, you suggested going to your parents and possibly putting their lives in danger," Sakura hissed. "Until you can put someone else's safety above your own, that's when I'll treat you like an equal."

"Well then I guess I'm your equal," Ed told her. "My dad could be in trouble."

"Dude, you hate your dad," Tye reminded him. "I need more than two hands to count the number of arguments you guys have gotten in, and how many times you've slammed him. Just this week!"

"I only hate him sometimes," Ed defended, narrowing his eyes.

"Hey, it's cool," Virgil told him. "If it were my dad, nothing would keep me away. I'm with ya." He placed a hand on Ed's shoulder, nodding in agreement.

"Good choice," Sakura told him.

"So you two want to go back to the exact place we just escaped from?" Tye asked in disbelief. "…I guess I'm in too," he agreed with a sigh. "Sam?" he asked, turning towards the Japanese girl.

"Anata wa aka kazan uchinomesu ikuto sutā rabo de min'na o hozon shitai baai, karera wa motomete iru." (They're asking if you want to go beat up Red Volcano and save everyone at STAR labs.) Sakura told the Japanese girl.

"Ikuo!" Asami smiled, flashing them a thumbs-up.

\----------------------------------------------------------------

Asami set the pinkette down and Ed appeared beside them.

"Idaina shigoto wa, anata no chikara o seigyo suru." (Great job controlling your powers.) Sakura praised the Japanese girl.

"Arigatou!" Asami smiled.

"Umm...it doesn't look like an evil robot's attacking," Virgil noted as Tye hopped of the sewer lid they were using as transportation.

"Keep your guard up," Sakura ordered, stepping in front of them. "This is just the calm before the storm." After a few tense moments the ground beneath them began shaking and a giant stone fist shot out of the ground. Blue Beetle was on top the fist, weakened. The fist exploded and Blue Beetle fell to the ground. Volcano appeared from beneath the surface and clapped his hands. Blue Beetle sunk below the ground and it was quickly covered, swallowing the armored hero.

"Jaime…" Tye breathed in shock. Volcano turned around and walked back down the hole he had created.

"We have to save Blue Beetle," Virgil declared as they ran over to the cracked earth.

"How?" Ed shouted. "I can't teleport where I can't see, and your powers aren't of any use either!"

"Kunoichi can save him," Virgil answered. "We saw her punch through concrete blocks without breaking a sweat. This shouldn't be a problem for her."

"Wrong Virgil," Kunoichi scolded. "He may have that suit of armor, but I don't know if I can break the earth without hurting him."

"I'll save Jaime," Tye told them, kneeling next to the slabs of concrete.

"Alright," Sakura nodded. "Virgil, Ed, and Asami, I want you three to follow Volcano and save everyone you can."

"What about you?" Ed asked. Sakura smirked and they four teens watched in shock as her hair grew darker and her eyes became and amber color.

"The last time Volcano and I met, I never got to fight him," she answered. She cleansed her fist and glared back at the hole. "This is a fight I've been waiting for." Sakura ran to the hole and jumped down it, with Ed, Virgil, and Asami following her.

\------------------------------------------------------

"Where's Amazo's head?" Volcano shouted.

"The Justice League sent Amazo's head to another location as insurance," Ed's father told them.

"Then I'll take your head as compensation," Volcano growled. Ed teleported into the room and grabbed his father. In a flash of yellow light him and his father were gone, leaving Volcano to punch a few drawers.

"You teleported…with another person," Ed Sr. hissed.

"I was…motivated," Ed panted.

"You okay?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah…it just hurt a little, that's all," Ed grunted.

"Get out of here, we'll run interference," Virgil told them.

"Will you now?" Volcano hissed, turning towards them. Sakura stood up and pushed Virgil back.

"Virgil, stick to the plan," the pinkette ordered. "Get Eduardo Sr. and Ed out of here, I'll handle Volcano."

"Is that so," Volcano muttered.

"Oh, it is," Sakura smirked, stepping into the vault. "Cherī was kinda pissed when your siblings kept her from fighting you. But now, there's nothing to stop us, it's my turn." Just as she said that, the projection of a hand shot through the ceiling and grabbed Red Volcano, pulling him out. "You've got to be kidding me!" Sakura shouted in anger. She ran back to the others and helped Ed with his father. "Tye, you are so going to pay for that." She muttered under her breath.

\-----------------------------------------------------

"Tye!" Sakura gasped, seeing the falling boy.

"I got him!" Virgil shouted. He used his static to pull over to the sewer lid. He flew over to Tye and caught him before he hit the ground.

"Ed take your father somewhere safe, I'll help Blue," Sakura ordered. She ran towards the fighting two and saw Blue fly towards Volcano. Hot magma shot out of the Earth, encasing Blue Beetle. Volcano simply tossed the ball of magma aside. "Blue!" Sakura shrieked. She froze when Blue Beetle stood up, not at all fazed by the magma running down his armor.

"It seems you haven't grasped who you're dealing with either!" Blue shouted, pointing his plasma cannon at him. Volcano was pushed back a few feet but he steeled himself and looked back at Beetle. Sakura took out an explosive kunai and quickly threw it at Volcano. A shard of rock shot up from the Earth, intercepting the kunai before it could hit him.

"Didn't like that, how about we up the decibels!" Blue challenged.

"Blue no!" Sakura shouted. The Sonic vibrations hit Volcano but he pushed forward. The kunai began vibrating in the stone and exploded fiercely, pushing Sakura back, but leaving Volcano unfazed. The pinkette flipped back and stood next to Tye and Virgil.

"He's hitting the building!" Virgil shouted. He flew over to Beetle. "Beetle stop! Volume's still maxed out, and there are people in that building!"

"First thing's first!" Blue shouted. He held up his other arm and it turned into a sonic cannon. Volcano was hit with twice as much force but he continued his trek, only slowed down by a fraction. A part of the building collapsed and Virgil flew back towards Sakura and Tye.

"Just how well do you guys know him anyway?" he asked.

"Cut Jaime some slack, he's battling an evil robot!" Tye defended.

"Tye, Virgil, you guys get everyone out of the building. I'll try to stop Blue Beetle and subdue Red Volcano," Sakura ordered. She ran towards Blue Beetle and Volcano, taking out another kunai. Bracing herself she threw it between them. The explosive tag went off and the explosion was amplified, throwing back Blue Beetle and knocking Volcano down for a moment. Sakura ran over to Jaime and helped him stand up.

"Jaime, what are you doing, you're out of control," Kunoichi scolded him.

"I'm not out of control I'm trying to stop Volcano!" Beetle shouted at her.

"No you're not! You're destroying S.T.A.R. Labs! If you don't stop you could end up hurting a lot of people," Sakura shouted at him. A battle cry brought their attention back to Volcano who commanded a rock fist to fly at them. The two jumped back, avoiding the hit.

"I'm just doing my job and beating Volcano!" Blue Beetle shouted, turning his hand back into a sonic cannon. "If you're so concerned about everyone, why don't you do your job and help; you're a medic, aren't you?" Blue Beetle shot into the sky as more fists flew towards him. Sakura looked at Red Volcano who seemed to be focusing more on Blue Beetle and not paying attention to her at all. Sakura narrowed her eyes and took out a kunai before blinking.

"Oh I don't like this at all," she hissed. She ran to one of the fists and jumped on it. She slammed her fists onto it, breaking the rock. Without missing a beat she grabbed the fist. Sakura turned around and threw it at Red Volcano. The robot caught the fist and crushed it in his hands. "So that's how you want to play, huh?" Sakura smirked. "Have it your way!" She slammed her open hands against the rock beneath her. She dug her fingers into the rock and grabbed onto two boulders. She threw them at Volcano, only to have the robot dodge them. Sakura heard a rumbling come from behind her. She turned around and saw a rocky fist coming right at her. She didn't have time to react before it impacted with her body and she was flying over the building.

She landed harshly on the ground and groaned in pain. Her hair and eyes returned to their normal color and she was left weakened.

"Kunoichi!" Tye shouted. He and the runaways ran over to her.

"Daijobu?" Asami asked.

"I will be in a moment," Sakura hissed. She reached for her obi and hissed when her arm fell.

"What can we do to help?" Ed asked.

"U-Undo my obi," Sakura answered. Tye and Virgil helped her sit up and the two looked at the knot in confusion.

"And how do we do that?" Tye asked. Asami pushed them back and undid the red thread holding her leaf symbol and quickly undid the golden obi. Beneath the obi was a dark pink utility belt.

"Second to the left…" Sakura ordered. Virgil nodded and opened the compartment, to see several pills.

"How many do you need?" he asked.

"Just one," Sakura answered, wincing in pain. Virgil nodded and took one of the pills, placing it in her mouth. Sakura chewed the pill and swallowed it, wincing slightly. "If you don't mind me asking, what are these things supposed to do?" Virgil asked. They watched as a blue aura surrounded the pinkette. The pinkette flipped up, renewed with health.

"Soldier pills, they give me back my energy," Sakura answered with a smirk.

"That is cool," Ed stated. Sakura quickly put her obi back on, as well as her village symbol.

Red Volcano flew through the building, landing on the ground. Blue Beetle flew through the hold he created and glared down at Red Volcano. The rock beneath Kunoichi and the runaways' feet began to morph around them, turning into fists.

"Time to sacrifice your victory and save the meatbags like a good hero!" Volcano told Beetle.

"You shouldn't stereotype!" Blue shouted. He blasted Volcano back and flew after him. Ed teleported out of the stone hand's grip. Tye and Asami used their powers to break the rock. Virgil used the sewer lid to slash the fist and free himself. Sakura punched the rock and landed next to the rest of the teens.

"Your friend was just about to sacrifice us!" Ed shouted at Tye. "You're his mentor, what have you been teaching him?" Ed shouted at the pinkette.

"I can assure you that I have not taught him anything! The only reason why I'm his mentor was to help him control his scarab!" Sakura shouted. "I wasn't teaching him how to fight, just how to meditate!"

"Meditation helps calm people…so why is he so angry and forceful?" Tye asked.

"I don't know," Sakura sighed looking at the ground in failure. The group looked over at Blue Beetle who was drilling into Volcano's chest.

"You'll have to do better than that, meatbag." Volcano told him.

"I'm really more of a meat-box!" Jaime retorted. He pulled his hand away and turned it into a sonic cannon. "You're just scrap!" He thrust the cannon into the hole in Volcano's chest, causing him to explode. Blue Beetle flew over to them and nodded.

"Okay, fight's over. Now we need to get you guys to Green Beetle!" Blue Beetle declared.

"Jaime, I'm not sure-!"

"Tye! This isn't up for debate! We need to go now!" Jaime shouted.

"Blue you better calm down right now," Sakura ordered. "Going to Green Beetle is very much up for debate! And if you dare shout at me you will regret it." Green eyes narrowed and she glared at the hero until they were interrupted.

"Hey heroes!" A reporter shouted as they ran up to Sakura and Jaime.

"What happened here?"

"Care to give us a few words?"

"What're your names?"

"I'm uh…Blue Beetle," Jaime answered.

"You're Blue Beetle?"

"Haven't seen you in a while!"

"Loving the new look!"

"And you, pinky, what about you?"

"Who I am is none of your damn business," Sakura snapped. "And if you dare call me that again, you will pay." She turned around and walked, off, leaving the group behind.

"Kunoichi, matte!" Asami shouted, running after the pinkette. Tye, Ed, and Virgil followed her.

"Where are you going?" Tye asked.

"I'm going back home," Sakura answered with a growl.

"Anata wa dekimasen! Anata ga Konoha ni modoru koto wa dekimasen!" (You can't! You can't go back to Konoha!") Asami protested. Sakura smiled at her and gave her a hug.

"Don't worry, I'm not leaving the country," Sakura assured her. "When I said I was going home, I meant Blüdhaven. I need to get to Nightwing and give him the mission report."

"What about us?" Ed asked.

"Yeah, where are we supposed to go?" Virgil asked. "S.T.A.R. Labs is trashed."

"I don't know," Sakura sighed. "But whatever you do, don't go with Jaime and go to Green Beetle."

"Why not?" Tye asked.

"Because, I don't trust Green Beetle," Sakura answered. "Tell you what, I'm going to let you guys go, but you have to promise to stay out of trouble."

"Yeah, we can do that," Virgil nodded.

"Good, now go, all four of you, before Jaime notices," Sakura told them.

"Thanks," Virgil smiled

"Yeah, we owe you one," Ed told her.

"Sayōnara, "Asami told her, giving her a hug.

"Kunoichi," Tye asked.

"What is it?" Sakura asked.

"Do you think Jaime will be okay?" Tye asked.

"Don't worry, we'll fix him," Sakura assured him.

"Thank you," Tye smiled. The four teens ran off and Sakura quickly took her leave as well.

\---------------------------------------------

Blüdhaven

May 14

"You should have seen it Dick," Sakura growled as she paced back forth in the living. "I couldn't even recognize him! He was fighting so ruthlessly, and he didn't even care if he was the reason anyone got hurt! I mean, I can understand wanting to beat Red Volcano, but he didn't even care if he hurt anyone in the process!" Dick grabbed Sakura's hand and pulled her into his lap.

"Everything's going to be fine," Dick said softly.

"How can you be so sure?" Sakura asked. "We could go to war with the Reach at any moment." The pinkette huffed and placed her head on his shoulder. "I don't want to go back into war so shortly after the first one. I don't think I would be able to take it."

"Don't worry," Dick whispered, wrapping his arms around her. He kissed the top of her head and stroked her hair. "Even if there is a war, we'll get through it. And we'll also get through whatever's going on with Blue."

"How do you know?" Sakura asked, pressed, looking up at him.

"I don't," Dick admitted with a small frown. "But you know that we can't just give up. We're going to save Blue Beetle," Dick kissed her lightly on the cheek. "We're going to kick the Reach off of our planet." He kissed her nose, causing her to giggle. "And…most importantly, we're going to save you from this marriage contract." He pressed their lips together, kissing her. Sakura smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Well, that does make me feel better," Sakura whispered.

"Good, because I promise all three of those things," Dick told her, nuzzling against her cheek. "Everything is going to be just fine. And do you want to know what else?"

"What?" Sakura laughed, kissing him quickly.

"When everything is done and over, and we're planning our wedding, I'm going to say 'I told you so'," Dick laughed. Sakura laughed with him and gave him a kiss.

"You know what, I'm actually looking forward to it," Sakura laughed.

"Good," Dick smirked, kissing her once more.


	15. Chapter 15

The Watchtower

May 23

"We've been tracking something on long range scanner," Captain Atom announced. "It's on a direct course for Earth. It's about to pass in front of Reya, one of Saturn's moons."

"Not in front of Reya, behind it!" Nightwing exclaimed. The gathered heroes watched in shock as the large satellite slowly passed behind Reya.

"Whatever that thing is, it's huge," Sakura stated.

"We need answers," Black Canary said.

"I'll ask Green Beetle if he knows anything. This could have something to do with the Reach," Atom said. Sakura's fists clenched but she stayed quiet.

\--------------------------------------------------------

Taos

Thank you for coming," Green Beetle told Nightwing, Kunoichi, and both Atoms. "My scarab has accessed the Reach's database for intelligence on the approaching threat." The golden gem on his forehead created a projection of the satellite. "It is called the War World. It is as artificial satellite, slightly smaller than Earth's moon. It is a mobile Doomsday weapon, created a millennia ago by a now, understandably extinct race. It is self powering, and self sustaining, thanks to an endless supply of worker drones providing repair, and battle drones providing security. The War World was activated by a crystal key, long thought to be lost. But somehow, the War World's current commander found it. The commander, Mongul, now sits at the War World's helm, which receives and transmits his every thought, allowing him to control all of the War World's functions, trajectory, weapons, and drones, without moving a single muscle."

"That is not good," Sakura whispered. Nightwing wrapped a hand around her shoulder and pulled her closer, silently soothing her.

"Who is this Mongul?" Captain Atom questioned. The image of the War World changed to an image of Mongul.

"Long ago, he was the sole dictator of his planet," Green Beetle answered. "But he was ousted by another tyrant and is determined to reclaim his throne."

"What does that have to do with us?" Nightwing asked.

"Mongul believes that surest way to take back his world he must first conquer the entire galaxy. One can only assume that he now views Earth as a threat to that plan. So he comes with literally enough fire power to destroy your world," B'arzz answered.

"Fantastic," Sakura sighed.

\-----------------------------------------------------------

Watchtower

May 26

"Attention, War World, this is Captain Atom of the Justice League, representing planet Earth. We wish to open negotiations," Captain Atom announced.

"I am uninterested in negotiation," Mongul announced. "The Earth under the Reach's thumb is too dangerous for my long term plans, it must be destroyed. And frankly, if you understood what you were in for with the Reach, you'd thank me for putting you out of your collective misery."

"But we're trying to get the Reach off of our planet," Sakura told him. "We don't trust the Reach anymore than you do."

"I do not care," Mongul told her. "The Earth will be destroyed now." Aquaman, Nightwing, Captain Atom and Sakura all looked in horror as the War World split, revealing a giant laser cannon. The device power up and shot at Earth. Dr. Fate appeared and summoned a giant ankh symbol to take the attack. The golden figure absorbed the attack and shot it back at the War World, destroying the cannon.

"Yes! Way to go Dr. Fate!" Sakura cheered.

"Kunoichi, I want you to go to Young Justice Base and head off to the War World with the team, now," Captain Atom ordered.

"Yes sir," Sakura nodded, racing for the zeta beam.

Recognized Kunoichi

\-------------------------------------------------------

War World

"Alpha squad to Watchtower," Superboy said, placing a hand over his ear. "Green Beetle's schematics were right on the money, at least so far. We're on route to take down Mongul, no commander, the threat ends." The group came to a stop as battle drones approached them. Wonder Girl held up her arms to deflect the blasts sent her way. Kunoichi took out several kunais, throwing them at the drones. Superboy ran forward and began punching at the drones. Arsenal kneeled down and prepared his missile launcher.

"Superboy!" Kunoichi called. The clone looked behind him just in time to see Arsenal shoot his weapon. The half-kryptonian jumped out of the way, narrowly avoiding the ceiling as it collapsed.

"Thank you, Kunoichi," Superboy growled, wiping off his shirt. "A little warning from the actual shooter would be nice."

"Take cover," Arsenal grumbled, sliding the launcher on his back. Superboy growled at him and turned around.

"Let's keep moving, we're close!"

\------------------------------------------------------

Alpha entered the throne room. Mongul's seat turned around and he stood up, glaring at the intruders.

"He is a big one," Arsenal muttered.

"I've seen bigger, stronger, and scarier looking things," Kunoichi growled, holding up her fists.

"This is your attack force…this is insulting," Mongul said gruffly.

"Learn to cope," Superboy told him.

"As my boy wonder would say, how about we get you 'sulted'," Kunoichi smirked. The members of Alpha shot forward. Mongul punched Superboy away and grabbed Wonder Girl by the head, throwing her back. He backhanded Wolf and turned towards the pinkette. Kunoichi ducked as a fist was sent her way. She flipped upward and shot her leg out, aiming to kick him. Mongul grabbed her tiny leg and threw her over to Superboy. Arsenal shot an explosive from his arm, hitting Mongul in the chest. Using the smoke as cover, Superboy shot forward and punched Mongul. The warlord wrapped his arm around Superboy's neck and lifted him up.

"Little Kryptonian…how proud you are of you powers. Did you truly believe that yours was the only race to come from a red sun," Mongul growled, tightening his grip. Wonder Girl's lasso wrapped around Mongul and the blonde tugged on it, trying to pull him towards her. Mongul reached behind him and tugged on the golden rope. Wonder Girl flew towards him and Mongul elbowed her, and took the lasso off.

Arsenal shot an arrow which covered Mongul in foam. Mongul growled and Superboy took the opening and began punching the alien in the face. Mongul broke the top half of his body out and threw Superboy onto the ground. He punched the hardened foam and broke free. Kunoichi rushed forward and threw kunais at him. They exploded on contact with the giant. Mongul walked out of the smoke and smirked down at the pinkette.

"How…adorable," he growled, grabbing her. Kunoichi let out a shout as he tightened his grip, crushing her body. Wolf jumped on Mongul and bit his arm, trying to get him to let go of her. Mongul reached over and grabbed the animal by the scruff of his neck.

"The novelty of this encounter has officially worn off," Mongul muttered lowly. He threw Kunoichi and Wolf, slamming them into Wonder Girl.

"Nap time, ugly," Arsenal said. He shot an arrow and Mongul grabbed it. Smoke poured out of it and Mongul smirked.

"I like that…smells like…victory," he said maliciously. Arsenal took out his bazooka as Mongul stepped forward. Superboy slammed into him pushing him back. The alien grabbed Superboy and slammed him into his knee, breaking him in half. Mongul stepped towards Arsenal and grabbed his weapon just as Arsenal pulled the trigger. The machine exploded and Arsenal skidded back. He tried to push himself back up.

"Do you really not understand?" Mongul asked. Arsenal grunted and fell back down, causing the alien to smirk once more. "Your deaths today in the face of the Reach are a mercy. My grand laser emitter would have ended your world in a matter of minutes." He sat down on his throne. "Another mercy. But it seems that the mercies of Mongul are not appreciated. So we will do this the hard way, and the War World will unleash all of its weapons on the Earth." The darkness around the room faded, revealing a perfect vision of the Earth and space around it. Missiles came into view, heading straight for Earth. "You're welcome," he muttered.

\------------------------------------------------------

Alpha squad groaned as they stood up.

"Anyone need healing?" Kunoichi asked.

"I'm good," Superboy grunted.

"Same here," Wonder Girl nodded.

"Let's just beat this guy and go," Arsenal huffed. Hatches opened up and red battle drones surrounded them.

"Guess we're too much of a bother to fight now," Kunoichi hissed. The room light up as the veins of light traveled towards Mongul. Electricity coursed around him and he let out a scream of pain. The drones fell to the ground uselessly and Alpha squad looked over at Mongul. The alien weakly stood up and walked towards them.

"He's rocked, take him down!" Superboy ordered. He shot forward and slammed his fists on his head. Arsenal flipped over him and shot several explosive arrows at him. Kunoichi ran forward and punched his torso. She kicked him in the chest and used the momentum to kick his chin as well. The pinkette flipped backwards, landing on the ground safely. Wonder Girl ran up to him and punched his chest, sending him stumbling back. Superboy jumped up from behind him and slammed his fists into Mongul's jaw. The giant alien spun around from the force of impact and fell to the ground.

"Wonder Girl! Now!" Superboy shouted. The blonde flew forward and quickly wrapped her lasso around him, tying Mongul up. Wolf let out a howl of victory.

"All surface weapons have been silenced, is it over?" Captain Atom's voice floated through their communicators.

"Mongul is down and contained," Superboy announced over the comms.

"Way to go Alpha," Batgirl congratulated.

"Like to take the credit, but we didn't do it," Superboy said. "He was shocked by his own machine. I'm guessing with a little help."

"The key has been removed," Impulse announced.

"Great work boys," Kunoichi smiled.

"Great job, everyone," Nightwing corrected. "Now rendezvous asap so we can bring you home."

"Sure thing Birdie," Kunoichi smiled.

\---------------------------------------------------

"Where's Alpha?" Guardian asked.

"We're trekking along with the big bad. He must way like a metric ton. We're just a couple minutes away," Arsenal told them over the comms.

"Please, you aren't even helping," Kunoichi scoffed.

"Neither are you!" Arsenal bit back.

"Hey, I offered but Wonder Girl and Superboy said they were fine!" Kunoichi growled.

"Enough arguing," Superboy huffed.

"Sorry," Kunoichi sighed.

"So, Kunoichi, what do you plan on doing once we get back?" Wonder Girl asked.

"I plan on taking a nice long and relaxing bubble bath," the pinkette sighed, stretching her arms above her head.

"And she probably won't be alone," Superboy smirked.

"Oh! I've turned you into a pervert too!" Kunoichi gasped in happiness. "And you're probably right. I might even be able to talk Birdie into giving me a massage too!"

"You have him wrapped around your finger, don't you?" Wonder Girl smiled.

"Not tightly, but yeah," Sakura winked, twirling her finger. The entered the docks and saw Bumblebee and Guardian locked in a kiss.

"Wow…how do I get that reward?" Arsenal smirked. Wonder Girl rolled her eyes and kissed his cheek. "It's a start," Arsenal commented.

"Well…the gang's all here," Blue Beetle smiled. He gripped the key and slammed it into Impulse's skull, knocking him out. He pointed his sonic blaster at the others and blasted them. They grabbed their ears, trying to block the noise but fell to the ground, knocked out.

"Blue! What are you doing?" Superboy shouted. Blue Beetle stopped his attack and rocketed forward, punching Superboy unconscious. He grabbed Mongul before her could hit the ground and pushed him over, pinning Wonder Girl. He stapled the blonde's arms to the ground and turned towards Kunoichi.

"Blue, snap out of it, right now!" Kunoichi ordered. "I don't wanna hurt you, you know I don't! But if the Reach is controlling you, I will!" Blue Beetle pointed his sonic cannon at her and blasted it. Sakura screamed in pain and gripped her ears. She fell to her knees and writhed in agony.

"Kunoichi!" Robin shouted. He threw a batarang at Blue, gaining his attention.

"No…not again…" Arsenal whispered in horror. He looked around, his eyes falling on the gate lock.

"Arsenal no!" Bumblebee shouted.

"I will not be taken again!" Arsenal shouted, slamming his hand against he controls. The hatched opened and created a vacuum, trying to suck everything into space. Robin grabbed Bumblebee slammed a batarang into the ground, trying to stay in place. The weapon lost its grip and they were sent flying. Blue Beetle flew against the current, trying to fight it. He turned his arm into a blade and sliced at the control panel, closing the hatch. He blasted, Robin, Bee, and Wolf, sending them into unconsciousness as well.

"Why…" Superboy gasped.

"Don't waste the oxygen, hermano," Blue Beetle muttered, "There is very little left." Arsenal placed a re-breather in his mouth and managed to escape. Blue Beetle stepped towards Superboy calmly and turned his arm into a weight. He punched the clone in the head, sending him flying back.

"Why did you trust Green Beetle?" Kunoichi panted. Blue Beetle grabbed her by the neck and lifted her off the ground. Kunoichi gasped and grabbed at his hand, trying to pry it off.

"Why…" the pinkette whispered. Her body fell limp and Blue Beetle dropped her.


	16. Chapter 16

_**The War World** _

_**May 27** _

Nightwing stepped through the portal that Dr. Fate created, his face hard. "What happened?" He growled. "What happened to the rest of my team!?"

"It's all my fault," Blue Beetle told him.

"That assessment is inaccurate," Green Beetle defended.

"Just…tell him what you told us," Captain Atom commanded. Nightwing glared at Blue Beetle, crossing his arms.

"We won, and we were all here in this bay," Blue Beetle started. "Wonder Girl had Mongul hogtied. Then suddenly…a boom tube opened up beneath our feet. I flew up and out, it was instinct! But before I could do anything else, the boom tube closed…and they were gone." Nightwing held out his wrist and tapped a few keys on the holocomputer.

"Definitely getting traces of boom tube activity," Nightwing sighed.

"We think Mongul may have opened the Boom tube as a means of escape," Captain Atom told them. "He gained the team as captives in the bargain. The team…and something worse."

"Impulse had the crystal key, he was the one holding onto it," Blue Beetle told him.

"The priority is making sure no one uses it to reactivate the War World," Captain Atom said. "Captain Marvel and Rocket are already guarding the key chamber. And the Justice League will continue guarding it in shifts until the key is found, and the threat is ended."

"It's all my fault," Blue Beetle whispered. Nightwing let out a sigh and stepped forward.

"Stop," he ordered, placing a hand on Blue's shoulder. "You didn't do anything wrong. We'll figure this out. For now," he turned to Green Beetle.

"I will ensure he gets home safely," The Martian assured.

"No! I wanna stay! I wanna help!" Blue insisted.

"You will, you will help," Nightwing assured him. "But right now, you need rest, sleep. Go." Dr. Fate held up a hand and opened a golden portal. The two beetles walked towards it.

"I'm sorry," Blue Beetle apologized.

"No," Nightwing growled. "Whoever did this, they'll be sorry!" The two beetles departed and the Portal closed.

\--------------------------------------------------------------

Nightwing walked along the upper walkway. His computer was examining everything that it could. It began flashing and pointed him towards the floor. The acrobat flipped off the walkway and crouched onto the floor. He ran his fingers along the surface and found scratch marks. Nightwing stood up and looked around. He walked towards the hatch. His eyes settled onto the control panel and they narrowed. "Air lock's damaged," he muttered. A glint of metal caught his eyes and he walked over to it. "Robin's birdarang…" he muttered, pulling it out of the pipe. He held his wrist in front of it, and his computer scanned it. The scans showed several small microbes attached to it. "It must have scratched Blue's armor…" He turned off the computer and narrowed his eyes at the weapon.

\--------------------------------------------------------------

**_Blüdhaven_ **

**_May 28_ **

Nightwing sat in the temporary base of Young Justice. Robin's birdarang was in his hand and the computer was showing off a news broadcast.

"And in my role as the Reach's ambassador to your world, I want to take this opportunity to thank this great hero. A hero who almost single handedly saved the Earth from the War World. He saved your lives. He saved our lives. Ladies and gentlemen…I give you…Blue Beetle!" Nightwing froze and looked up at the TV, his hands gripping the birdarang. The ambassador stepped back and Blue Beetle approached the podium, waving the crowd. Nightwing's eyes widened from behind the mask.

"Thank you…thank you all," Blue Beetle said. "But it is I who should be showing gratitude to you, Ambassador. For giving a normal, average human being, the power of the Reach." The front of Blue Beetle's mask receded, showing his face. The birdarang in Nightwing's hand broke in half and his eyes narrowed dangerously. "The power to save the World."

\--------------------------------------------------------------

"Grayson!" Hiroki shouted, kicking the door of Dick's apartment. It swung open, revealing the empty apartment. "Grayson! Where the hell are you!?" Dick emerged from the hallway, a towel around his shoulders. He had on a pair of jeans and his hair was damp.

"What are you doing here?" Dick muttered.

"You have got to be kidding me…" Hiroki growled. He ran forward and grabbed Dick's neck, slamming him against the wall. "My fiancée is missing and you have decided to take a fucking shower?" Dick punched Hiroki in the jaw and pushed him away. Hiroki slammed into the coffee table, breaking it. Dick rubbed his neck and glared at the white-haired boy.

"You have a lot of nerve breaking into my house," Dick huffed. "And I know that Sakura is missing, but there's not much I can do about it. I've already done everything I can."

"What like question Reyes?" Hiroki asked. "Because he's the one that fucking did it! He went on _national_ television and declared his allegiance to the Reach!"

"I know he's the one that did it," Dick sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "But Jaime loved Sakura, looked up to her like a sister. He wouldn't do this willingly. The Reach has probably taken control of his suit."

"I don't give a fuck if he's doing it willingly or not! He's kidnapped my fiancée!" Hiroki shouted.

"Sakura is _not_ your fiancée," Dick growled.

"I have a marriage contract that says otherwise," Hiroki muttered.

"That doesn't change a thing," Dick growled. "You don't love her, and she doesn't love you. You're just using her. Sakura does _not_ like being used."

"I am _not_ using her," Hiroki growled. "I am simply living up to my expectations that my family has for me. And this marriage is something that has been in the works for several generations. I intend to see it through."

"Don't you ever think of anything else?" Dick shouted. "Don't you ever think about how this damn contract is affecting other people? Sakura doesn't want this wedding! She wants to be free and decide for herself what to do! Do you ever stop and think that maybe, just _maybe_ , you are making her life a living hell?"

"She needs to accept it, there's nothing anyone can do to stop this wedding," Hiroki growled. "Only I have the power to end the contract."

"What?" Dick hissed.

"Yeah, did you not read the contract?" Hiroki smirked. "I'm the only person allowed to stop the wedding; it doesn't even matter if Sakura says 'I don't' on the wedding day. I'm the only one that can call it off." Hiroki gasped as Dick grabbed him by the neck and pinned him to the wall.

"Call it off," he ordered.

"Now why would I do that?" Hiroki growled.

"If you don't I will snap your neck," Dick threatened.

"Please, we both know that you're bound by Batman's little code. You could never have the guts to kill," Hiroki smirked. Dick narrowed his eyes and dropped Hiroki, taking a step back.

"I may not be able to kill you, but I will do whatever it takes to make Sakura happy," Dick told him. "If she asks me to kill you, I will not hesitate. But I know she won't. She wouldn't want me to kill; she'd want to do it herself."

"How could you be so sure?" Hiroki asked, standing up.

"Because I know her," Dick answered. "I've known her since we were kids. I know everything about her. I know that when she needs to think something over, something that distresses her and shakes her very core, she opens and closes a fan to clear her mind. I know that her favorite color is ironically black. She will do anything to help and protect the ones she loves. She acts like a mature big sister to the younger members of the team, and acts like a younger childish sister to the older members. Her favorite treat is ice cream, and she especially likes to have it as a reward after a mission. Her favorite bubble bath is a concoction that she and Ino created. It smells like strawberries, roses, vanilla, and mint. I know that once she left the village and came to Gotham for training with Batman, it became her dream to leave the village and do something greater with her life. I know that she relies on her explosive kunai for long range attacks. And I know that she misses her sister Cherī deeply. She misses hearing that voice in her head; she misses the presence of her older sister. I know she admires Black Canary, Wonder Woman, Tsunade, Artemis, Rocket, every single female on the League that she encounters. She adores how women are getting such praise and love. She wants to be like them, strong, independent, and an example for children.

"Now, why don't you tell me something about her? Tell me something about you precious fiancée," Dick muttered. The two stood in a tense silence, staring at each other with narrowed eyes. "Didn't think so." Dick scoffed, crossing his arms. "Now get out of here before I arrest you. You made a huge mistake breaking into the house of a cop." Hiroki glared at him and disappeared in a small cloud of smoke.

"Mr. Grayson?" A small voice from the doorway said. Dick blinked and turned around, facing two small children. One was a boy about the age of twelve, and the other was girl around seven.

"Ella? Jake? What's wrong?" Dick asked, walking over to them.

"We heard yelling," the young girl answered.

"Is something wrong?" Jake asked, gripping his younger sister's hand.

"Jake! Ella!" A woman gasped, running up the steps and rushing over to them. "Richard, I'm so sorry they bothered you!"

"No bother at all," Dick assured them.

"Oh my, what happened here?" The woman gasped, seeing the kicked in door and broken coffee table.

"Did you and Miss Sakura get into a fight?" Ella asked in fear.

"No, no, we didn't get into a fight," Dick assured the young girl. "I just had a visit from someone."

"Did he hurt you?" The woman asked, noticing the hand mark on his neck.

"No Mrs. Graham, I'm fine. It takes a lot more than some pretty boy to scare me," He smirked.

"I told you before, call me Sarah," she smiled.

"What did he want?" Jake asked.

"Jake, you shouldn't pry into other people's business," Sarah scolded.

"But mom, you were doing the same," Jake pointed out.

"Yes, because I was worried he was robbed. That was out of concern, not curiosity," Sarah explained.

"It's fine with me," Dick smiled. "The guy that kicked the door in has been harassing Sakura for a while now. It's over a private matter between them. It was set up by their parents, and Sakura doesn't want anything to do with it, simple as that."

"Where is Miss Sakura?" Ella asked. "I got another cut." She tugged on her elbow, showing him the small cut.

"Unfortunately she's gone on a little trip. Looking at colleges, and getting some more medical supplies, things like that," Dick told her. "But she should be back soon enough."

"Okay," Ella nodded.

"Alright you two, let's get you back downstairs," Sarah sighed.

"Yes mom," Jake agreed, grabbing his sister's hand.

"I do hope everything with this harassment works out," Sarah told him.

"Don't worry about it, we have a plan to beat him," Dick smiled.

"Oh, but I do wonder what you're going to do about your door…" Sarah hummed.

"Ah, probably just a busted lock. Nothing I can't fix," Dick assured her.

"Alright, well, I'll see you soon," Sarah smiled.

"See you soon Mrs. Graham!" Dick called. He closed the door behind him and sighed, rubbing his forehead.


	17. Chapter 17

** _The War World_ **

** _May 30_ **

The bioship flew around the War World.

"Anything?" Nightwing asked Miss Martian.

"No, I'm sorry," M'gann apologized. "I can't sense any of them."

"You have to try harder!" Hiroki shouted.

"The War World is so big that they could easily be out of range," Miss Martian told them. "Remind me again why he's here?" She pointed at Hiroki and glared at him.

"Right now, you need me to help you find Sakura just as much as I need you," Hiroki said.

"We've been flying this surface grid pattern for hours," Nightwing sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "And you're exhausted."

"I feel fine," Miss Martian pushed.

"Of course, I know you do," Nightwing agreed. "But there's no need to over tax yourself so soon after your kidnapping. You might feel fine now, but I know that it can easily turn into exhaustion in just a few moments. Besides, we're not giving up. We'll start over where the team first disappeared, look for a new lead."

"Alright, if you think that's best," M'gann sighed.

\----------------------------------------------------

"Haven't you already scanned every inch of this place?" M'gann asked. She and Hiroki watched as Nightwing walked around, scanning the area.

"Yes, but I'm obviously capable of missing obvious clues," Nightwing muttered. "I totally should have spotted signs of Blue Beetles defection after Green Beetle… _'fixed'_ his scarab."

"That's my fault," Miss Martian protested. "You asked me to scan Green Beetle's mind, and I vouched for him without diving deep. I was so afraid to use my powers after what I did to Aqualad. I allowed Green Beetle and his scarab to feed me exactly what the Reach _wanted_ us to think. So Blue trusted Green, and was turned by him. And he somehow abducted the team. All on me." Nightwing grabbed her by the arms and forced her to look at him.

"You never would have been placed in that position if I had just trusted you with Aqualad's secret," Nightwing told her. "I put you, Aqualad, Artemis, and the whole team in unacceptable danger."

"This is all sickeningly sweet," Hiroki faked gagged.

"So…this is our 'guilt off'," M'gann smiled weakly. "I say I messed up, and then you say you messed up worse."

"I guess it is…" Nightwing chuckled weakly.

"Dick, we both made mistakes, and we both need to get over ourselves," M'gann told him. "Save the team, and then save Blue. As a certain thirteen year old was fond of saying, 'that's just what we do'." Nightwing smiled and gave Miss Martian a brief hug.

"We both should have listened to Blossom," he sighed.

"I guess after all these years, we still haven't learned our lesson," M'gann laughed.

"What do you mean you didn't listen to Sakura?" Hiroki asked.

"Kunoichi has always been suspicious about Green Beetle, but even she eventually chalked it up to coming back from a war," Nightwing explained.

"And I'm assuming she's been right about things like this before, if what Miss Martian says means anything," Hiroki growled.

"Yes, she has," M'gann nodded.

"And the one time we actually listened to her, she was wrong," Nightwing chuckled, remembering the mission.

"She wouldn't talk to any of us for a week," M'gann laughed.

"Not until we each bought her a tub of ice cream," Nightwing chuckled.

"And you took her out to a fancy restaurant for dinner," M'gann added. The two laughed, smiling over the memories.

"And remember the time she managed to convince Superboy to decorate the cave for our first Valentine's day as a team? Superboy was so confused about everything that was happening," M'gann laughed.

"Didn't she manage to convince him that mistletoe was meant for all seasons?" Nightwing asked.

"Yeah she did," M'gann laughed. "He ended up kissing Aqualad."

"I still find it funny that even Superboy laughed once he was told it was only for Christmas," Nightwing laughed. "What about the time she and Wally painted the Super Cycle pink?" he asked.

"Superboy spent days cleaning her, but Sphere was happy for the attention," M'gann smiled brightly.

"Which was her plan all along, because Superboy had been really busy at the time and couldn't be with Sphere," Nightwing reminded.

"Oh yes, I remember that now!" M'gann laughed. All three froze as a banging sound came from the door. Hiroki and Nightwing took out their weapons, a short sword and escrima sticks respectively, and Miss Martian floated into the air, her eyes glowing. Nightwing's screen came up and a series of whirring and beeps sounded throughout the area. Miss Martian and Nightwing smiled, opening the door. The doors opened and a giant metal sphere rolled into the bay.

"Sphere!" M'gann gasped. The machine gave a little jump and rolled towards them. Nightwing put away his small staffs and placed his hands on the machine, petting her. M'gann giggled and laid on her, giving her a hug.

"What is that thing?" Hiroki asked. Sphere made a series of noises and revving sounds, fidgeting in place.

"Sphere, a piece of otherworldly tech," Nightwing answered. "She's completely self aware and is very intelligent. She's bonded with Superboy." M'gann gasped when he said that and looked down at Sphere.

"Can you take us to Superboy?" the Martian asked. Sphere revved and split in half, pushing the heroes away. She unfolded and became the Super Cycle and revved once more.

"I'm guessing that's a yes," Nightwing smiled.

\----------------------------------------------------

The Runaways looked at a large door and then looked at the small box like machine in Asami's hand.

"Father Box says that he's in here," Ed said. They turned to Tye and he nodded. An Astral Projection formed around him. It leaned down and pulled at the underside of the door, lifting it up. The Runaways stared at shock at the towers of red containers. The room seemed endless, and with it, so did the containers. They're eyes were drawn to one of the containers which held Robin, Guardian, and Beast Boy.

"Oh man," Virgil whispered. "There they are."

"Looks like they're frozen," Ed said.

"Kunoichi!" Asami gasped, seeing the pink haired girl with Wonder Girl, Impulse, and Bumblebee.

"They are in stasis," A voice growled out. The group turned around and saw Black Beetle grinning at them maliciously. "And you will join them soon enough." A look of fear crossed Virgil's face as he walked towards them.

"Guys, I saw this thing take down _all_ these heroes back on the Reach ship!" Virgil told them.

"Please," Black Beetle smirked, cracking his knuckles. "Don't let that stop you from attacking me. I could use the exercise." Tye jumped forward, pulling his fists back. Black Beetle flew towards him. Black Beetle avoided the fists and punched the projection in the jaw. Tye was sent tumbling back, falling onto the ground. Black Beetle aimed his sonic cannon at Tye and fired. The blast forced away the astral projection, leaving Tye unconscious.

"Please tell me he did not just take out our big gun in ten seconds flat," Ed said.

"Scatter!" Virgil shouted. The group split up. Asami jumped away while Virgil flew. Black Beetle blasted them. They slammed into stasis pods and fell several feet to the ground, knocked out.

"So much for 'exercise'," Black Beetle muttered. He flew into the sky, looking for Ed. "Alright, meat, might as well teleport yourself into a stasis cell. And save me the trouble!" Ed peered out from behind the wall he was hiding behind and looked at Black Beetle. A laser shot out from behind him and hit Black Beetle, knocking him out of the air. Arsenal dropped from an open hatch. He shot his hand, catching against the edge of a stasis cell. He swung over top the door and hit the panel, closing the door before Reach soldiers could enter the fight.

"Gracias amigo," Ed said, teleporting nest to him. "Um, who are you?"

"The guy who'll save your ass if you listen carefully," Arsenal answered, tossing him a Reach weapon. "You can't beat Black Beetle head on. But keep him off balance and we _might_ just stand a chance!" Black Beetle stood up, glaring at them.

\----------------------------------------------------

Arsenal flipped out of the way as Black Beetle shot at him. He aimed his stolen weapon, firing it. Black Beetle dodged it, only to get hit in the back. He turned around and aimed at Ed, but the boy disappeared. Black Beetle grunted as he was hit again. He shot at Ed but he teleported away before the blast could reach him. Tye hit Black Beetle, slamming him against the wall. Black Beetle flew forward, using his sonic cannon to push Tye back. Virgil used his powers to tear a stasis cell off its rack. He threw it at Black Beetle, but the Reach soldier blasted it to pieces. Shards shot out of his chest. Virgil swung his manhole cover in front of him, catching them. Asami jumped off a cell and kicked Black Beetle in the back. She used her powers to make the kick more powerful, pushing him several feet forward. Black Beetle swung around to aim but was punched out of the air by Tye. He groaned as he stood up.

"I am starting to get annoyed," he growled, glaring at the teens.

Arsenal hung onto one of the cells and was pressing the buttons on a panel. The panel beeped at him and he growled lowly. "Oh I _really HATE_ that sound!" Ed teleported onto a cell behind him.

"We're hitting him with everything we got and are barely holding our own," he announced. "Shouldn't we be, I don't know, freeing some of the good guys?"

"No," Arsenal answered as it beeped at him again. He let out a shout of anger and flipped off the cell, landing next to Ed. He quickly shot the panel and the red barrier around the cell disappeared. Mongul dropped out of his prison and fell towards the ground. Arsenal jumped onto the ground and Ed appeared beside him.

"I don't think you grasp who we're here to save," Ed said.

"Trust me, I know," Arsenal answered. He held out a hand and back up, forcing Ed to do the same. Mongul groaned as he stood up.

"Mongul!" Black Beetle shouted, noticing the alien. "This is all your fault!" Mongul looked over at Black Beetle and growled.

"Reach." The two lunged at each other.

"You guys free the team," Arsenal ordered as they regrouped. "I still have to get something else!" He ran off, leaving the runaways. Ed turned towards the cells and blasted at the panels, making the red barriers disappear.

"Kunoichi!" Asami gasped, jumping into the cell that held her. She looked down at the pinkette and smiled.

"Asami?" Sakura groaned. "What's going on?"

"No time," Asami said. "Need to reave!"

"Right, right," Sakura nodded, standing up. Asami put her arm around her soldier and jumped out of the cell. The others in her cell were lifted out by Tye. Arsenal ran up to them, holding their missing weapons.

"We gotta go, now!" He shouted. They ran towards the door and Arsenal turned towards the Runaways. "Okay, get ready, there's a squad of Reach soldiers waiting for us." He pressed the panel and the teens slid into fighting stances. They blinked in shock seeing all the Reach soldiers knocked out on the ground.

"Hey," Nightwing greeted, waving one of his escrima sticks.

"Birdie!" Sakura gasped. She ran over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, giving him a hug.

"Blossom!" He gasped, gripping her tightly. "Oh, I'm so glad you're safe."

"Hey fearless leader, better late than never," Arsenal greeted.

"Everyone safe?" Nightwing asked.

"For now," the redhead nodded.

"And the crystal key?" Nightwing questioned.

"Gone," Arsenal answered. He turned around, seeing Mongul and Black Beetle crash against each other. "And we better get gone too before one of them declares a winner!"

"Then let's get going," Hiroki told them.

"What are you doing here?" Sakura growled, letting go of Nightwing.

"He refused to be left out of the search," Nightwing told her. "But we can fight with him later, right now we have to go."

\----------------------------------------------------

"All aboard," Miss Martian said. "We're almost home free." The team filed onto the ship.

"I think congratulations are in order," Nightwing smiled at the Runaways. "No training, no guidance, and yet you managed to pull it off. When we get back, after a debrief, there might be a place for all of you with the team."

"Wow…really?" Virgil gasped in awe.

"Yeah, you guys deserve it," Sakura smiled at them.

"Thank you!" Asami squealed, latching onto her.

"So now that we saved your guys' butts, you're cool with not treating us like S.T.A.R. Lab guinea pigs?" Tye scoffed.

"Dude, chill," Virgil hissed.

"We only had you in S.T.A.R. labs to protect you," Sakura told them. "You just got your powers, you didn't know how to use them, you barely even knew what your powers were or what they could do. What would have happened if you accidentally used your powers and ended up hurting someone, or even hurting yourself. I agree that your treatment was unfair, and that the scientists should have handled the situation better-"

"Then why didn't you try and change that?" Tye asked.

"I did," Sakura answered. "But I guess my words just didn't affect them."

"Calm down, everyone," Nightwing ordered. "Kunoichi did what she could to try and make your stay better, but you also have to remember that she's a member of this team, and she's constantly keeping busy. I can't count how many times I've had to force her to take a food break, or I found her asleep at the table."

"Birdie!" Sakura gasped, her cheeks turning red.

"Before we head back, we need to talk about Blue Beetle," Arsenal said, stepping between them. "He betrayed us."

"Look who's talking," Bumblebee scoffed. "Last thing I remember is you blowing an air lock without warning!" She strutted towards them, glaring at Arsenal. "You nearly got us all killed and _absolutely_ guaranteed our capture!"

"Hey, after 8 years of being on ice, there was _no way_ that I was being captured again!" Arsenal shouted. "And in case you didn't notice, my escape resulted in you being free to stand here and complain! So how about a 'thank you'!"

"You're right Arsenal, thank you," Nightwing said. "And after we're back on Earth, you're off the team."

"W-Wait a minute!" Tye shouted.

"If it wasn't for Arsenal we wouldn't have rescued anyone!" Virgil protested.

"We know that," Sakura told them. "But this isn't the first time he's pulled something like this."

"Intentionally endangering the lives of teammates in order to further his own agenda, or guard against his own personal demons. It's unacceptable," Nightwing said. "So, until you prove yourself a team player, you have no place on this team." He walked over to Bumblebee and Sakura followed. The three of them started up the ramp into the bioship. "Now let's get aboard and get out of here. We can discuss this further when we're not behind enemy lines."

"Sounds like there's nothing else to discuss," Ed said.

"See, we don't need your help getting back to Earth, or your offer to join the team," Virgil told them. "We have our own way of doing things."

"What do you say bro?" Tye offered. "You wanna ride with us?"

"Sounds like a plan," Arsenal smirked. Asami pulled a box out of her pocket.

"Wait! Is that a-!"

"Home prease," Asami ordered.

"Asami, no!" Sakura shouted, stepping forward. A boom tube opened up underneath their feet and sucked in the small team. "No…" the pinkette whispered.

"Great job _dick_ ," Hiroki smirked. Nightwing growled and turned to face the white-haired boy. Sakura grabbed his arm and shook her head.

"He's not worth it. Let's just get home so we can get away from him," Sakura told him. They boarded the ship.

"You're a real jerk, you know that?" Bumblebee hissed.

"How so? I just want my fiancée to come back home with me," Hiroki huffed.

"News flash! She hates your guts and she'll only ever be in love with Nightwing! Get over yourself, go home, and call off the wedding!" she growled. She stormed into the bioship and Hiroki huffed before following after her.


	18. Chapter 18

** _Blüdhaven_ **

** _May 30_ **

The team entered the warehouse and spread out. Nightwing stepped towards the computer and Impulse ran in front of him. "Look, I know this missing key is important but we need to focus on-"

"Blue Beetle," Cat Grant finished. Impulse turned around, looking at the screen. "The so-called Reach hero has dominated this news cycle when UN secretary General Tseng announced his plan to present Beetle with the international medal of valor for saving Earth from the War World." Nightwing paused the video.

"That's a lot of good press for a traitor," Robin groaned, rubbing his side.

"Hey, don't blame Blue," Bart said. "He's just as much a captive of the Reach as we were. We have to set him free." He turned to glance at the screen before looking back at them. "You know, before he conquers the Earth and enslaves all mankind," he added.

"I agree, Blue would never hurt us, not willingly," Sakura told him. "Green Beetle reset his scarab and allowed the Reach to take complete control over him. None of this is his fault."

"Then we need to come up with a plan," Nightwing told them.

"What are we doing?" Hiroki asked.

"You are going back to Konoha and leaving me the hell alone," Sakura answered. "You're not a part of this team. You shouldn't even be in this warehouse! Go home!"

"I will not," Hiroki growled. "Like it or not you're my fiancée. Besides you seem to be getting into a lot of trouble here. You need someone to protect you!" Everything in the warehouse came to a screeching halt when the sound of skin hitting skin bounced off the walls. Everyone turned to look at Sakura, who had her arm stretched out. Hiroki's head was tilted to the side, his cheek turning bright red.

"Don't you _ever_ say that I need protection again!" Sakura growled. "I can protect myself. If you ever suggest that I'm weak again, I'll give you much more than a slap. And next time, I won't hold back."

"I think it's time you left," Nightwing told the white-haired boy.

"We all think it's time you for you to leave," Superboy spoke up.

"I'm not going anywhere," Hiroki growled.

"Look, either you go now, or we'll force you out," Mal threatened.

"Please, I'm not scared of you," Hiroki scoffed.

"Either you go right now, or I'll go to the cops and report you for sexual harassment," M'gann told him.

"You call the cops and I'll tell everyone your secret identities," Hiroki smirked. The warehouse became silent and the heroes looked around at each other. "Exactly," he chuckled. "So like I was saying, what's the plan?"

\-------------------------------------------------------------

**_ El Paso _ **

** _June 13_ **

"You two ready?" Batgirl asked.

"Ready," Kunoichi agreed.

"This is the whole reason why I'm here," Impulse said.

"Good," Batgirl whispered.

"Here he comes," Impulse hissed. The three ducked behind a chimney and waited for Blue Beetle to pass. Batgirl took out her grappling hook and shot it, grabbing Blue's leg. She and Sakura both hooked it around the chimney as an anchor and held on tightly.

"Batgirl? Kunoichi? What are you doing? You know this won't hold us!" Blue Beetle shouted.

"It'll hold for a few seconds," Batgirl announced.

"And a few seconds," Kunoichi smirked.

"Is more than I need!" Impulse shouted, running on the wire. Blue Beetle turned around and the rockets on his back flared. The wire snapped and Impulse grabbed a hold of him. His hand started vibrating at sonic speed. Impulse slammed his hand against Blue's rocket and destroyed it. The two began falling towards the ground. Impulse pushed himself off of Blue Beetle and flipped onto a building. He ran down it and came to a stop behind Blue Beetle's body. Batgirl and Kunoichi landed in front of Blue Beetle.

"Sweet dreams Blue," Batgirl said, flicking a small sphere towards him. Smoke poured out of it and the three looked on in anticipation. Giant staples flew out of the cloud, hitting Batgirl and pinning her to a tree. Kunoichi jumped out of the way and growled, glaring at Blue Beetle.

"I knew that wouldn't work," She huffed. "Blue's mask has to have a filter on it, the Reach aren't that stupid." She flipped away as Blue Beetle began aiming at her, trying to pin her. Impulse ran at him, knocking him off his speed. Blue Beetle groaned and tried to stand up, only to be knocked off his feet again. Impulse ran around Blue Beetle, watching him. Blue Beetle jumped up and shot out a staple. The staple caught Impulse and slammed him onto a wall, knocking him out. Blue Beetle turned around, searching for Kunoichi. He turned around, his arm becoming a shield. A kunai embedded itself into the shield.

"Release!" Kunoichi shouted. Blue Beetle was blown back as the weapon exploded. Four kunais landed around him, chords tied onto the ends.

"This is pathetic when compared to Batgirl," Blue Beetle growled.

"It just needs to hold for a second," Kunoichi smirked. She stepped above his head and crouched down. The pinkette placed a hand on his head and closed her eyes. Blue Beetle stilled, his efforts ceasing. Slowly the armor retracted, leaving Jaime behind. Kunoichi opened her eyes and smirked. She pulled up the kunais, releasing him. Kunoichi stepped in front of Jaime and smiled, stretching out her hand. "Glad to have you back, Jaime," Jaime took her hand and allowed her to pull him up.

"You wish," Jaime smirked. His armor covered his hand and staples flew out of it. Sakura was pinned to a wall, groaning as the force knocked her out.

_"Okay…you won. Now let's go,"_ Jaime begged as his armor covered his whole body once again.

"I think not," The ambassador smirked. "As this street is currently deserted, I believe we must seize this opportunity. Scarab…kill them all." Blue Beetle turned around, staring at the three teens. His hands turned into scythes and he dropped them, allowing them to drag along the concrete as he slowly walked forward.

_"Scarab! You don't have to do this!"_ Jaime shouted.

"But he does," Ambassador interrupted, "and so do you. In fact, it would be a good lesson to helplessly watch your own body murder your… _former_ friends. The first kills are always the hardest, my dear child. Might as well get them over with."

_"Scarab please!"_ Jaime shouted as Blue Beetle used the tip of the scythe to raise Impulse's head. _"Don't! Don't kill them! We've fought side by side with these guys! You can't! You can't kill them! Don't kill them! Please…don't kill him!"_

**"I must do as designed parameters dictate."** Scarab replied.

_"NO!"_ Jaime screamed as the scarab raised the Hispanic teen's arm, ready to behead Impulse. _"BART!"_ Just as the armored arm came swinging down a blue bubble appeared around him, keeping him from harming Impulse. Blue Beetle looked around, his hands returning to normal. His hand turned into a mace and he began to relentlessly punch it.

"Scarab! You're attack is ineffective, analyze this containment field," Ambassador ordered.

**"Analysis already complete. Field gives off an energy signal consistent with the alien cooperative."** Scarab informed him.

"Cooperative technology gains power from kinetic energy," the Reach Scientist announced. "The Scarab's attacks are only strengthening it. The Scarab should know this!"

"Scarab! Do you have the means to effectively circumvent this tech?" Ambassador asked.

**"I do. A sonic attack would-"**

"Don't explain! Just do it!" The Ambassador ordered. Scarab turned the weapon into a sonic cannon and aimed it at the bubble.

_"Ecrofnier S'tekcor elbbub htiw ym skcigam!"_ The bubble became a darker blue and the sonic attack was absorbed. Blue Beetle looked around and saw Rocket and Zatanna.

"I've reinforced Rocket's bubble with my magicks. You're not going anywhere, Blue," Zatanna smirked. _"Eerf Lrigtab Ihcionuk dna Eslupmi."_ The oversized staples disappeared and Batgirl, Kunoichi, and Impulse fell to the ground.

_"Ha! Don't you get it, extraterrestre? Impulse, Batgirl, and Kunoichi were decoys! They were a distraction from Rocket and Zatanna's real attack! Guess some first kills_ are _harder than others."_ Jaime laughed.

"Scarab! Proceed with counter measures!" the Ambassador ordered.

**"There are no known counter measures for this specific combination of magicks and cooperative tech."** Scarab announced.

"Are you guys okay?" Rocket asked.

"I've felt better," Kunoichi groaned, rubbing her head.

"I thought your chakra would work for sure," Impulse sighed. "I mean, it worked in calming down the scarab when we tried removing it from Blue."

"I know, I thought it would work too," Sakura sighed. "But enough about that, we still have work to do."

\-------------------------------------------------------------

The super cycle flew through the air with the six heroes inside. Blue Beetle was floating behind them, still trapped in the bubble.

"Enjoy your advantage while you can!" Blue Beetle shouted. "The Reach track my every move! And when we're through with you there won't even be enough left for a DNA identification!"

"Worse death threat ever," Sakura muttered, rolling her eyes.

_"I agree with Kunoichi!"_ Jaime laughed. _"Could it get any more technical and dull?"_

"Tell me our destination! And I'll make your deaths painless!" Blue Beetle threatened. Zatanna, Rocket, and Kunoichi looked at each other and rolled their eyes.

_"Oh yeah! That scared them!"_ Jaime laughed. _"Please continue! This is actually kinda fun to see you fail!"_

"So Kunoichi, Batgirl, any leads on how to free you yet?" Zatanna asked.

"Not really," Kunoichi sighed. "It seems so hopeless."

"Calm down, we still have some time," Batgirl told her. "We're not giving up without a fight. We can give you a glamour charm and move you somewhere else if needed."

"I so don't want to live my life like that," Kunoichi sighed.

"Don't worry," Rocket told her. "I'm sure everything will work itself out. Once the Reach is off world, we'll have you with Nightwing with no pesky marriage contract to worry about!"

"I'd love to see that," Kunoichi smiled.

"Oh, and I have to ask, how's our little experiment going?" Impulse asked, turning around in his seat at the front.

"Almost finished," Kunoichi smiled. "We should be able to do another test run after we get this done."

"Crash!" Impulse cheered, turning around to face the front.

\-------------------------------------------------------------

** _Bialya_ **

** _June 14_ **

Batgirl flew the super cycle into a canyon and came to a stop.

"What do they hope to find here?" Ambassador growled.

**"Insufficient data."** Scarab announced. Cannons came out of Super Cycle and Batgirl took aim, blasting open the door into the hangar. They flew in and saw soldiers approaching them.

"We've got company! And I can't do anything! I've got to keep my focusing on keeping this bubble around Blue!" Rocket said.

"Don't worry Rock! We can handle Queen Bee's soldiers!" Impulse smirked, positioning himself to take off.

_"Mrasid!"_ Zatanna shouted. The guns flew out of the soldiers hands.

"Hey, I was going to do that," Impulse pouted. Zatanna glanced at Kunoichi in disbelief.

"What, he's a little kid," Kunoichi shrugged.

"Okay…then you can still knock them out," the magician suggested.

"Oh yeah, crash!" Impulse cheered before rocketing towards the soldiers. He knocked them out one by one before running into Devastation. The powerhouse grabbed Impulse by his ankle and hung him upside down. "Hey! Leggo!" Impulse grunted, trying to squirm out of her grip. Mammoth slammed into the Super cycle, knocking the girls out of the vehicle.

"Rocket, the shield!" Batgirl shouted.

"Holding!" Rocket assured her. "But I'm a sitting duck here!" She quickly jumped out of the way as Shimmer tried to pounce on her. Shimmer's hands glowed blue and when she tumbled onto the floor, the concrete melted under her touch.

"That's new," Kunoichi muttered.

"You were foolish to bring us here!" Blue Beetle shouted. "Queen Bee is our ally and her minions will destroy you in no time."

"If only this force bubble was soundproof," Rocket muttered. Shimmer lunged for her, only to be tackled away by Batgirl. Mammoth jumped over the super cycle, attempting to hit Rocket, who flew out of the way. Kunoichi ran over to him and kicked him in the face. She ducked to dodge a quickly strike from Mammoth's giant fist. With the next fist she jumped up, landing on it. She spun around, swinging her leg to deliver a round house kick.

Devastation threw away Impulse and ran at Zatanna. "We don't have time for this!" She growled. "Kunoichi!" The pinkette nodded at the wizard and flipped away. _"Tcerider ym seimene tsniaga hcae rehto!"_ Zatanna shouted. Devastation flew through the air, hitting Mammoth. The two skid across the floor, slamming into Shimmer. The three tumbled into the hole in the ground and Batgirl smirked, throwing a bomb. It exploded, releasing polyurethane foam, trapping them.

"Girl, some day you gotta tell me how you figure out those backwards words so fast," Rocket smiled.

"Maybe backwards is my native tongue," Zatanna smirked.

"Seriously," Rocket muttered.

"Good one," Kunoichi smiled, holding up her fist. Zatanna chuckled and lightly hit it with her own.

"Come on, we have work to do," Batgirl reminded them.

\-------------------------------------------------------------

"Here," Zatanna said, pointing to a platform surrounded by pillars.

"Are you sure you've got enough power for this?" Impulse asked.

"Me? No way," Zatanna asked, stepping onto the platform. "But I'll summon it from those that do." She stood at the center of the platform and Rocket lowered Blue Beetle. _"Retne a ecnart ot eraprep rof eht lautir!"_ Zatanna breathed. She was lifted into the air and she crossed her legs, taking a meditative stance.

"Nothing better than a little séance using magic," Kunoichi muttered. Her ears twitched and she looked around for the source of the noise. Green Beetle flew into cave.

"They all die now!" he shouted. Super Cycle flew towards him, knocking him out of the air.

"Go Super Cycle!" Kunoichi cheered.

"Guys, this is all on you!" Rocket yelled at them. "I have my own beetle to hold, and Zee is right in the middle of her mystic trance!"

"Oh great, it's not like our asses haven't been kicked enough by the beetles," Impulse groaned.

"But this one comes with his own personal kryptonite," Batgirl smirked, throwing a bomb. "Go!"

"Going!" Impulse nodded, running towards them. The bomb landed, starting a fire. Impulse ran around Green Beetle, spreading the flames and creating the ring.

"Ha ha! Crash! Those Martians really can't take the heat, can they," Impulse laughed.

"They can't, but stay alert," Kunoichi warned. "Martians have more than enough skills to compensate their weakness." The other two nodded and they looked around.

"Behind us!" Kunoichi shouted, jumping out of the way. Before they could dodge, Impulse and Batgirl were hit by the sonic cannon. "Why don't people ever think to look behind themselves?" Kunoichi huffed. A small lizard landed on Green Beetle's head. It quickly took the form of an elephant, trapping Green. The green elephant gave out a cry of cheer. Green Beetle growled and pushed the elephant off of him. Green Beetle growled and turned his hands into scythes. Bumblebee grew in front of him, shocking him while in her shrunken state. He let out a cry and staggered back, gripping his face. Wonder Girl flew out of her hiding spot and threw her lasso, grabbing Green Beetle.

"You'll thank us for this later!" Robin said as he swung through the air. He knocked down the Martian with a kick to the face.

"Good job," Kunoichi praised. "Now you'll see how we do this ninja style." She ran forward and flipped over Beetle. Her fingers skimmed the metal armor and she landed on the opposite side of him. "Let's see how well he can fight with scrambled nerves," the pinkette smirked. Green Beetle growled and held up his sonic blaster, knocking Wonder Girl, Bumblebee, Kunoichi, and Beast Boy off their feet.

"Uh, Zee, feel free to start this little ritual of yours anytime you're ready," Rocket told her sarcastically. Zatanna opened her eyes, which were glowing white.

_"Ho yhtgim Sisi fo eht citsym baracs, evig em ruoy rewop!"_ Zatanna chanted, her voice echoing throughout the chamber. A small scarab talisman flew off a pillar and placed itself on her forehead. A mighty spirit bathed in blue light appeared behind Zatanna, giving off the appearance of a goddess.

_"W-Wicked."_ "W-Wicked." Rocket and Jaime chorused, unknown to the dark skinned girl.

_"Tcurtsnocer siht elpmet!"_ Zatanna recited. Her voice became distorted, melting with that of the goddess's. Fallen rocks and broken fragments lifted into the air, melding with the pillars and surfaces, repairing the destroyed temple. The giant beetle picture faded into a blue color, which bled into the other rocks. The entire cavern was bathed in a blue light as the hieroglyphics shined brightly. _"Tekcor, won!"_ Zatanna shouted. Rocket removed the bubble and flew away from the platform.

"Fool!" Blue shouted, turning his arm into a cannon.

"You will all" Green Beetle did the same, pointing his gun at Zatanna.

"DIE!" The two chorused.

_"Esnaelc eseht sbaracs fo rieht seitiruomi!"_ Zatanna cried. The two beetles blasted their weapons. Impulse ran forward and grabbed the rope around Green Beetle. He swung the Reach soldier in front of the two blasts, forcing him to take it. Green Beetle was knocked out and Blue Beetle was pushed back. A pillar of light shot out of the platform and all the team could hear was Blue Beetle's cry of pain. Lightning crackled from the pillar and a blinding light flashed through the cave. The light died down and the beetle fell from Zatanna's forehead, shattering. The magician was released from her trance and she fell towards the ground. Impulse ran up to her and grabbed her before she could hit.

"Zatanna, are you okay? Did it work?" Impulse asked. Green Beetle and Blue Beetle stood up, looking at the two. "Or are we back to square one? Who controls the Beetles?"

"Let's find out," Zatanna groaned, holding up her hand. _"Leaver ohw slortnoc ruoy sbaracs!"_ she waved her arm. The team watched in anticipation as the armor retracted from the two, revealing Jaime and B'arzz. "It worked. Jaime and B'arzz O'oomm are back in control of their own bodies."

"It's true," Jaime smiled, placing a hand over his heart. "I can feel it. I'm free of the Reach. For real this time!"

"You're one hundred percent sure?" Batgirl questioned.

"We've been through this before when Green Beetle supposedly freed Jaime," Kunoichi reminded her.

"I am certain of it," Zatanna confirmed. Kunoichi walked forward and studied the two.

"I can't sense anything wrong with them," she smiled.

"And there are no external signals since Zatanna worked her magic," Robin reported. "Neither beetle is in contact with the Reach."

"Hey Hermano! Congrats!" Bart cheered.

"Thank you," Jaime smiled, hugging Zatanna.

"It was nothing, Blue," The magician smiled.

**"Congratulations Jaime Reyes."** The scarab spoke.

"Oh right, like you're happy about this," Jaime muttered.

"I am, I swear," Impulse smiled.

**"If mistrust is your only take away from our time together, you haven't learned a thing. This scarab prefers our partnership over being slaves of the Reach."** Scarab informed him.

"You know, I believe you," Jaime smiled.

"Of course you do, up high!" Impulse cheered. Jaime smiled and slammed their hands together. He curled their fingers together and pulled Bart close.

"Thanks for everything, hermano," Jaime smiled. He lightly placed his lips over Bart's, kissing him. The speedster froze before closing his eyes. He took his hand out of Jaime's grip and wrapped his arms around his neck. The team cheered applauding the couple.

"Finally!" Beast Boy shouted, jumping in excitement. The two pulled apart and smiled at each other.

"It's about time," Sakura smiled softly.

"I have long forgotten what it felt like to be in control of my own body," B'arzz confessed to them, telepathically. "I cannot express my thanks enough."

"Uh, that's great and all, but Queen Bee's goons are waking up!" Bumblebee shouted.

"Then that means it's time for us to take our leave," Batgirl said.

\-------------------------------------------------------------

"So spill," Blue requested, looking at Zatanna as they flew through the skies. "How'd you know how to save us? That temple wasn't even in the Reach database."

"That started with us," Kunoichi told him.

"Bumblebee, Kunoichi and I first came across it months ago during another mission," Batgirl said. "I couldn't help but notice the beetle imagery and recorded a holographic file of the symbols and hieroglyphics. Dr. Fate was able to translate the images, which revealed an ancient ceremony that was used to cleanse the Scarab of Reach control."

"So that's why my scarab was off mode when I found it," Jaime realized.

"Since the magic was of human origin, Fate, a Lord of Order, could not perform it, so he prepped me to do it instead," Zatanna continued. She turned to Robin who smiled.

"Meanwhile Batgirl and I got with the hacking," Tim boasted. "Starting with the computer files of the previous Blue Beetle, the late Ted Kord. Ted's files revealed that an archeologist named Dan Garret first found both the scarab and the temple in 1939. It fused with him the same way it fused with you, but Dan just assumed it was some sort of mystic artifact, and he used it to become the first Blue Beetle of modern times. When Dan passed away, he left the scarab to his protégé, Ted Kord."

"But Kord quickly realized the scarab was alien technology," Batgirl continued. "Since he wasn't about to let an alien device fuse with his spine, he locked the scarab away."

"But Garret still inspired Ted to become the second Blue Beetle, even thought he didn't have any powers," Jaime said.

"I hear those are optional," Sakura smiled.

"Anyway," Tim said, continuing the story. "Ted suspected that the light wanted the scarab back in the play. He tried to stop them from stealing it, and paid the ultimate price."

"That's where you came in," Batgirl finished.

"Guess I wasn't exactly what the Light or Reach had in mind as the next owner of the scarab," Jaime sighed. "But why keep this from me?"

"Because it took months for me to learn the ritual, not to mention configure the ancient Bialyan incantations to work with my magicks," Zatanna explained.

"And you couldn't risk letting the Reach know about the Temple until you were ready!" Jaime realized. He flew to the front of the Super Cycle, looking at Bart. "You managed to keep your mouth shut? _You_?" he asked in disbelief.

"Hey, the main reason I came back to the past was to make sure you stayed a hero and didn't bring on the Reach Apocalypse," Bart reminded him. "I was motivated to keep my mouth off mode. Don't you get used to it now!" the speedster winked with a smile.

"And Sakura's suspicions about Green Beetle, did that also help with the decision?" Jaime asked.

"Not really, the team trusted Miss Martian's word, but due to my past experience, I knew to be on my guard," Sakura told him. "Some new player with a Beetle and knowledge of the Reach that we didn't have, that was suspicious enough."

"Then he managed to upstage you by revealing the additive in the Reach drink," Tim smirked.

"Hey! I am a genius alright! I never get anything wrong and I certainly don't miss things!" Sakura shouted.

"But you missed the marker," Zatanna smirked.

"Shut it!" Sakura growled.

"Hey, I think you're great no matter what," Jaime smiled.

"Thanks Jaime," Sakura giggled. "Oh and by the way, with your scarab off mode, you no longer have to train with me."

"Cool," Jaime smiled. "But I can still join you for meditation sometime right?"

"Sure," the pinkette nodded.

"I'll make the call to Nightwing and let him know that Jaime and B'arzz are back in control," Batgirl announced.

"Tell him I said hi!" Sakura giggled.

"Of course," Batgirl chuckled.


	19. Chapter 19

_**Santa Prisca** _

_**June 19** _

The lights in the cavern flickered on. Black Beetle stepped through the entrance to the cavern and looked over at a similar entrance across the room. Deathstroke appeared from the shadows of the second entrance and nodded, receiving the same gesture from Black Beetle. The two stepped away from the entrances and let in the Reach soldiers and the Light respectively. The Ambassador and Scientist of the Reach stepped onto a metal platform at the same time as the attending members of the Light.

"Ambassador," Savage smiled wryly in greeting.

"Savage," The Ambassador returned.

"As head of Security of the Reach, I insist that there be no masks worn at this summit," Black Beetle growled, pointing at Black Manta.

"Simply because you are insisting does not guarantee anything," Manta stated.

"Manta, if you wouldn't mind," Ra's al Ghul requested. "After all, we are among friends." Black Manta growled and reluctantly took off his head gear. Tigress took off her mask, placing it over her hip.

"We are  _so_  in over our heads," she muttered, touching the orange crystal around her neck.

"Shhh" Kaldur urged her softly. Tigress dropped her hand and nodded. Deathstroke was the last to take off his mask, placing it on his hip as well.

"Satisfied?" Ra's asked. Black Beetle growled and stepped behind the Ambassador and the Scientist.

"Excellent," Ambassador nodded. "And with these formalities over with-"

"Let us begin," Savage finished.

"And the rest of the Light? Won't  _they_  be joining us?" Ambassador asked.

"Our more public members are more occupied at the moment," Ra's announced. "Conducting damage control to mitigate your recent defeats." The Ambassador glared at him.

"And any in case, we are enough," Savage told him.

"Fine," the Ambassador accepted. "I know you called this summit, but the Reach has complaints against the Light. Please explain how the young Earth champions were allowed access to the Bialyan Scarab Temple under  _your_  control."

"If I may respond," Kaldur spoke up.

"No you may not," Black Beetle growled. "Manta, keep you whelp meat son silent."

"Beetle, your impertinence grows progressively less… _charming_ ," Manta growled back.

"Friends," Savage called. "I think we can all agree that in recent days no one has done more, sacrificed more, for both the Light and the Reach, than Kaldur'ahm. That is why he was entrusted with the security detail for this summit. And that is also why he is entitled to a voice here."

"Of course," the ambassador agreed. "He may speak."

"Thank you, Ambassador," Kaldur nodded. He stepped down from his spot and walked onto the platform. "We acknowledge your concerns over the actions of my former team. But you must also acknowledge that the Light could not have known the significance of the temple. We also could not have known that ancient Earth magic could be use to overpower Reach technology, thus release both Blue and Green Beetle from your control. If you had been honest about when you had sent a scarab to infiltrate Earth and take a beetle warrior, we might have made a connection to the temple, and certainly would have provided better security for it."

"I told you I wanted to study what happened when the beetle crashed prior to putting it back on mode. If you had followed my advice we would have known about the temple and-!" The Scientist froze when the ambassador turned around and glared at her. "Apologies, I spoke out of turn," she said quickly, bowing to the Ambassador.

"No, my dear, you were quiet correct to call your Master's tactics into question," Manta told her. "The Light has provided the Reach with everything they required and you aliens have let it all slip away."

"I do believe this is not a productive direction for our discussion," The Ambassador stated.

"No?" Ra's queried. "The approval rating of the public towards you is at a record low. Just like the sales of the Reach drink, which you had hoped would enslave the populace."

"You allowed the young heroes to be taken by the very teenagers with metagenes that  _you_  enhanced," Savage growled.

"After allowing their escape as well," Manta added.

"Worst of all, Blue Beetle and Green Beetle have been taken from your hold and are now with the enemy, the Justice League," Kaldur finished.

"Rest assured, both Beetles will soon return to the Reach," Ambassador told them. "In fact, Black Beetle has been summoned to Earth from his post on the War World where he was guarding the key chamber."

"I will kill Blue and Green Beetle's host bodies," Black Beetle growled.

"So that their Scarabs may be reset and placed on new host bodies that will forever be slaves of the Reach," The Scientist finished.

"So do not question us on that score or any other!" The ambassador demanded. "Remember, the Earth is now the property of the Reach. And per our original agreement, the Light is merely our favored agents amongst the humans."

"Show the proper respect, or suffer the consequences," Black Beetle growled.

"No agreement exists that makes a slave of Black Manta," Manta hissed, stepping forward.

"No agreement guarantees the  _life_  of Black Manta," Black Beetle growled.

"Manta guarantees that HIMSELF!" Manta shouted. A weapon rose out of his shoulder and pointed itself at Black Beetle. A cannon appeared on Black Beetle's chest and the two glared at Each other.

"It appears we have a standoff," Ra's hummed.

"No, we do not," Beetle growled. He swung his arm out, striking Black Manta. Deathstroke and Tigress jumped into action, attacking the Reach Warrior. The Reach soldiers soon joined in, firing their weapons at the two assassins. Tigress held up her sword to deflect a laser but was pushed back. Ra's caught her and helped the ninja steady herself.

"Apologies Great One," Tigress sighed, holding up her sword.

"Not necessary child, you have my…thanks…" He trailed off as she ran back into the fight. She took out her crossbow and shot arrows and the Reach soldiers that jumped into the right. The armor clad creatures were encased in hardened foam, trapping them. Deathstroke swung his staff at Black Beetle, striking him. Black Beetle blocked the next swing with his blade. Deathstroke back-flipped and Black Manta took his place in battle.

"Enough!" Kaldur shouted, pushing his father and Black Beetle away from each other. "We are allies! Any fighting amongst ourselves only benefits the Justice League, and their band of sidekicks. We do not want our enemies to beat us."

"Kaldur'ahm is quiet correct," Savage spoke, stepping forward.

"Agreed," the ambassador replied. "We must not allow something like a petty disagreement drive a wedge between us and break our alliance. Gratitude Kaldur'ahm. Stand down Warrior."

"Ambassador," Black Beetle growled.

"Stand down," Ambassador ordered. Black Beetle growled and turned around, blasting at the foam that trapped the soldiers. Hi armor returned to normal and he look at the Light. Kaldur turned to his father who nodded and retracted his weapon as well.

"Should we not be concerned that Superman, Batman, the Lanterns, and the rest will return Earth and once again sway public opinion to their favor?"

"That will not be necessary," Savage assured him. "Superman and those accused with him will never leave Rimbor. The attack we forced them to make, as well as a few well-placed bribes, has ensured their convictions."

"Plus, the Green Lanterns are forbidden from Guardian treaty now that we have convinced you and Secretary Tseng to welcome us here," Ambassador added. "As for public opinion, I wouldn't be concerned, though the tide has shifted against us a bit, it will be a simple matter to build upon half-truths we have already used to discredit the League in order to…do it…again…" he trailed off. The others turned to Face RA's who was approaching tigress.

"Great One?" Tigress asked, raising an eyebrow. She gasped as he grabbed her necklace and tore it off. A harsh light covered her face, turning it back to normal. Her black hair turned blonde and her grey eyes looked on in shock.

"Artemis." Savage growled.

"I…don't understand. I thought Artemis was dead." Ambassador said in confusion.

"So did we all," Savage growled out. "But it seems Tigress is Artemis."

"This is a glamour charm," Ra's announced, holding up the necklace. "I'd wager that it was created by Zatanna or Doctor Fate to hide Artemis's true identity." Artemis looked at him and narrowed her eyes.

"But I thought Kaldur'ahm killed Artemis," Ambassador hummed. "And she's been in disguise as her lieutenant, then that means…"

"That means, Aqualad duped them all," Black Beetle growled. "Including his own father." Black Beetle let out a dark laugh.

"Kill them both," the ambassador sighed.

"With pleasure," Black Beetle purred, stepping forward as his hands turned into blades.

"You will not kill my son!" Manta shouted, running forward and shielding Kaldur from Black Beetle.

"He's right," Deathstroke sighed, aiming his gun. With a loud, echoing bang Kaldur fell to the ground, gripping his chest. Manta gasped and grabbed his son. A second bang followed and Artemis fell to the ground.

"The Light takes care of its own," Deathstroke finished.

"Kaldur…why did you do this?" Manta asked.

"It is too late father…I have already…won," Kaldur breathed. His hand fell away from his chest and his hand unfurled showing a small remote. The blue button was blinking rapidly. A holographic image of Kaldur appeared.

" _ **If you are watching this, then your summit truly is over,"**_  the image announced.  _ **"The Light and the Reach deserve each other. Both sides play at being partners, but that is not true. The Reach believes the Light is nothing more than their naïve tools for conquest. But that could not be further from the truth. The Light has been manipulating the Reach from day 1."**_

"Shut it off," Vandal ordered Deathstroke.

"How?" the assassin asked. Savage growled and turned back to the hologram. A screen appeared, showing images of the hypnotized Justice League.

" _ **It was the Light that brought Earth to the Reach's attention, by sending the Justice League to Rimbor. The Light set their trap, and Reach took the bait, fulfilling the Light's desire to thrust our world into the intergalactic spotlight. It was a part of their perverse survival of the fittest scheme for the planet, which they believe will turn the Earth, and the Light, into the eventual rulers of the Milky Way."**_  Another screen appeared, showing the Reach Ambassador shaking hands with Black Manta.  _ **"Though the Light made a deal with the Reach to help them control the Earth, they have also sabotaged their efforts."**_ The screen changed to show images of the four runaways.  _ **"They kept the enhanced meta-teens out of the Reaches hands, they added a neutralizing agent to the Reach's drink so that the Earth's population would**_ **not** _ **become servile. They turned public opinion against the Reach, and they intentionally allowed the Team access to the ancient scarab temple in Bialya so that Blue and Green Beetle could be cleansed."**_ The images went through a slide show of the temple and the happenings.  _ **"So you see, any agenda either side thought they shared, was nothing more than a carefully crafted illusion. I trust that I have shattered that illusion, as well as whatever remains for this sorry excuse for an alliance,"**_  The hologram of Kaldur turned its head and seemed to be staring right at Manta and himself.  _ **"Goodnight."**_  Kaldur bid, before the hologram disappeared. Manta turned to his son's body in disbelief.

"Kaldur, what have you done?" Manta breathed.

"He has, in death, done more to damage my plans than any living creature has done in 50,000 years," Savage huffed. "I'd be impressed, if I wasn't so-!" He was cut off by an angered shout from the ambassador.

"You earthlings are a pestilence and a plague!" The Ambassador shouted, storming forward. "You dare sabotage us! You dare betray us! HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN WHO CONTROLS THE WAR WORLD? The Light is fortunate we do not carve out your planet as we speak!"

"That would indeed impress, if War World's crystal key was not in my possession," Savage growled, stepping forward and coming face-to-face with the Ambassador.

"That is all I needed to know," Kaldur announced, standing up.

"Kaldur…you're…"

"Alive, yes," Kaldur finished for his father.

"If you would?" A feminine voice asked. Ra's turned around in shock. Artemis was looking up at him with her hand extended. The blonde sighed and stood up on her own. "And I always heard that the 'Great One' was such a gentleman."

"That's impossible, Deathstroke killed you both," Savage growled.

"Just for a little while," Deathstroke answered, levitating a sword up to Savage's neck. "After all, I wouldn't want to do any permanent damage" The man transformed, turning into Miss Martian "to my best friends. It's amazing at what a little misdirection and Hollywood special effects can do." Miss Martian walked over to Artemis and Kaldur and smirked at Savage.

"For we value our true friends. And unlike you, we are not short on them," Kaldur announced. Guardian, Superboy, and Bumblebee entered through one side of the cave. Batgirl flipped out of the other end, followed by Kunoichi and Nightwing. Kid Flash ran in front of them, smiling.

"Hey there baby! Did you miss me!" He smiled at Artemis.

"Well played, well planned," Savage praised "But the Light always has contingencies." The brain lit up and the two entrances closed behind the team members. The roof of the cavern opened up and Light soldiers grappled down inside, surrounding the two teams, and Kaldur, Artemis, and M'gann. "I've had my fill of your interference, do not expect to survive. Kill them all. Superboy may prove to be a bit of a challenge, but we'll deal with  _him_  when the other children lay bleeding on the ground."

"Still you refer to us as children, no wonder our successes mount," Kaldur smirked. "You consistently underestimate us. You said it yourself, I was in charge of security detail for this summit. I am not as foolish as you seem to think I am." One of the soldiers pulled off his mask, reveling Blue Beetle. His wings sprouted, tearing apart the armor. He flew into the air and blasted the Reach soldiers with a sonic attack.

Sakura stepped forward with a playful smirk.

"Oh boys!" She giggled. A soldier holding an energy sword stepped forward, ready to attack her. Another fighter spun around and kicked the first one in the side. Three of the fighters pulled off their masks, revealing Naruto, Sasuke, and Sai.

"Time for Team Kakashi to kick some ass!" Naruto cheered.

"I've been waiting for this," Sai said, taking out one of his scrolls.

"You took me out of recovery just so I could fight?" Sasuke sighed, pulling out his katana. "Oh well, can't say I won't enjoy this." Sakura flipped in front of her team and smiled, taking out her kunais.

"Ready boys?" She asked with a grin.

"Ready!" They replied.

"Then let's go!" Sakura shouted. Kid Flashed smiled, running around them and grabbing the safety pins on the Light soldiers' smoke bombs. Smoke poured through the area and the team jumped into action. Sakura kicked a man in the head, knocking him back. She twirled around and chopped another one in the side followed by punching his chest. She jumped back as someone tried to grab her. A burst of lightning flew into the man, tossing him away from the pinkette.

"Manipulation over the elements," Hiroki smirked, blowing on his smoking finger. The fighters faced towards him and Hiroki smiled, gesturing them closer. "Bring it on."

"Remember, don't kill, only incapacitate!" Sakura shouted.

"Where's the fun in that?" Sasuke smirked, slamming his sword into one of the soldier's arms.

"Sasuke! Lady Tsunade has put Sakura in charge of this mission, we are to follow her orders!" Naruto shouted.

"Fine," Sasuke agreed reluctantly. He pulled his sword out of his opponents arm and kicked him in the chest. "When did you get so set on following the rules?"

"Granny Tsunade said that if I didn't start following them she'd pass over me and declare someone else as Hokage," Naruto sighed, ducking to dodge a weapon. He punched the attacker in the stomach and slammed the heel of his palm against his chin. He jumped up and kicked the guy in the head. "I have no choice!"

"Lady Tsunade made a good choice in blackmailing you," Sai spoke. And ink tiger jumped in front of him, biting a would-be attacker.

"Sai! No killing!" Sakura shouted, kicking an opponent in the chest. Someone reached out for her and she slammed a kunai into his arm before ripping it out and punching him in the face.

"It is true, the Light always has underestimated these young heroes, but no more," Savage declared. "It is time." The ruby on his ring gleamed and the red spirit of Klarion flew out. He zapped the sword, turning it into a snake made out of fire. The snake slithered towards Miss Martian. M'gann flew away only to be slammed into the ground by its fiery tail. A red portal appeared behind Klarion and Savage, swallowing them.

"Cowardly meat!" Black Beetle shouted.

"No! Savage has the right idea," Ra's declared. "This battle is pointless. Do not resist, the  _heroes_  have no jurisdiction here!"

"Meaning every piece of meat on the Light is a coward," Black Beetle growled. Without blinking, he grabbed Superboy's attacking fist. He punched the half-Kryptonian in the head and tossed him aside. Black Beetle turned his hand into a blade and slammed it into Ra's al Ghul's chest. Artemis looked at him in shock.

"Master!" Ubu shouted. He punched L'gann away, breaking free from his grip.

"Such is the fate of all meat," Black Beetle growled, walking away. Ubu punched Artemis out of the way and grabbed Ra's as he fell.

"I have you master! Ubu will keep you safe," Ubu shot a grappling gun into the hole in the ceiling. "The master will be resurrected!" Artemis narrowed her eyes and she jumped towards them, trying to grab them. Ubu kicked her in the stomach, sending her flying. Kid Flash ran over to her and caught her before she could hit the ground. He swung her behind him and they stood back to back as several opponents surrounded them.

"I so wanna kiss you right now," Wally smiled. "Or maybe kill you for putting us through all of this!"

"Hold that thought, you can decide later, when we're alone," Artemis smirked.

"Ugh! Can you two be any  _less_  subtle," One of the fighters groaned. His hands started twitching madly and three of the other fighters shook before their clothes ripped, revealing puppets. The three puppets leaped into action, slicing up the other attackers.

"Kankurō what were my orders?" Gaara demanded, stepping behind his older brother.

"Oh come on, they're not dead, just cut up a little," Kankurō smirked.

"God Sakura has some creepy friends," Kid Flash huffed.

"I know," Artemis agreed.

Vines came out of the ground and wrapped around several attackers. They were thrown into the walls and pinned with other vines.

"Ino!" Sakura smiled, seeing the blonde.

"Hey, when Tsunade said she was giving you reinforcements, she was not kidding!" Ino smirked. A howl rang out and a giant white dog lunged onto a Light soldier, biting his shoulder. Kiba howled with laughter and lunged on an attacker.

"This cavern is to cramped for my style!" Kiba laughed.

"You'll just have to make due," Shino sighed, ducking as a punch was thrown his way.

"You guys are no fun!" Chouji cheered, slamming into his current opponent.

"M-Miss Martian!" Hinata called, pointing at the opening in the ceiling.

"Blue! Black is escaping!" M'gann shouted. Blue and M'gann flew over to him, only to be blasted away.

"What a drag," Shikamaru sighed as the last of the Light soldiers dropped. The shadows slithered off of the body and crawled back into his own. "And with that we've won."

"Don't be such a downer," Ino chuckled.

"When Tsunade said she was sending back-up I didn't know she meant that everyone was coming," Sakura smiled, hugging Naruto. "But I knew you three would come."

"Of course we would," Naruto laughed, hugging her back.

"We're a team, and as such, we've got each other's backs," Sasuke told her.

"Even if you are in the outside world and have basically forsaken us," Sai smiled.

"I haven't forsaken you," Sakura said nervously, giving him a short hug. "I just belong here, in the outside world, with the heroes."

"What is it with your fascination with them?" Kiba asked, punching her on the shoulder lightly.

"I don't know, but I do know that it started when we were training with Batman," Sakura answered.

"More like the second you met Wonder Woman," Sasuke smirked.

"Your first hero crush!" Naruto laughed.

"Shut it!" Sakura growled.

"Kaldur! You won!" Nightwing shouted. The shinobi turned around and looked at Nightwing and Kaldur.

"Won?" Kid Flash scoffed. "Dude you triumphed!" He walked over to her, holding Artemis's hand. Ino nudged Sakura with a small smiled and she walked over to them.

"You've crippled the Reach, and literally broken the Light in half!" Artemis said. "You even took out Deathstroke before the Summit." She bent down and picked up her necklace. "And since we recorded the whole thing, we'll be able to use the Light's words against them and clear the Justice League!"

"Not to mention the alliance you started," Sakura smiled. "The Justice League and Hidden Villages have been on shaky terms, especially since the Fourth Great Shinobi War started. You managed to convince Lady Tsunade and Lord Gaara to send in back-up to help us take down the Light and the Reach, Gaara even showed up to fight!" Sakura smiled, gesturing to the redhead. Temari and Kankurō nudged their little brother with happiness.

"The Hidden Villages could care less about what happens out here, just so long as they aren't bothered by it, because of your words, and your actions, you managed to convince them to get involved and come out of hiding. Maybe not completely but it's a start! You've crippled the Reach, broken the Light in half, cleared the Justice League, and forged the path for an alliance between the Hidden Villages and the outside world! You've conquered!" Sakura told him. Beast Boy ran over to them and latched onto Artemis.

"Hey! What's that for?" The blonde chuckled, turning around to face him.

"I'm just so glad you're alive!" Garfield sniffed, releasing her. "And that Aqualad's not a traitor!" He blinked and turned towards Nightwing, pointing at him in slight anger. "No more faking anyone's deaths for  _at least_  a year!"

"Seconded!" Wally agreed.

"Um, I vote to expand that sentence to two years!" Sakura smirked. "Now get off of her Beast Boy!" she shouted, lightly pushing her away. "I haven't seen here in three years!" She grabbed Artemis, giving her a tight hug.

"Oh! I've missed you too!" Artemis laughed, hugging her back. "I'm so glad you made it back home safe and sound! I was so worried when you went off to war, we all were!" Kaldur sighed softly.

"Kaldur, this has been a good night," Nightwing smiled, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Maybe the best one we've had since the four of us took off for Cadmus over five years ago."

"Come on, enjoy the moment my friend! You've earned it!" Kid Flash smiled.

* * *

_**The Watchtower** _

_**June 19** _

"I am now  _officially_  returning command of the team, back to you," Nightwing smiled, shaking Kaldur's hand.

"Congratulations, Kaldur'ahm," Aquaman smiled.

"This is unnecessary," Kaldur protested. "You have done brilliant work leading the team under the most trying of circumstances."

"Which is why I'm thrilled to have this particular monkey off my back," Nightwing chuckled. "Besides, now I can spend more time on something a little more important. Freeing Sakura." Nightwing wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her into a hug. Sakura smiled and kissed his cheek, before laying her head on his shoulder. "Job is all yours pal."

The celebrations were cut off as a boom tube opened up. The present Leaguers slid into fighting stances. Captain Marvel, Black Lightning and Black Canary were tossed through the portal, dropping to the ground, unconscious.

"The War World's been activated," Nightwing announced, seeing the War World with its activated rockets. The giant weapon began moving away from them. "It's leaving Earth's orbit and heading out into space! Is that good news or bad?" he asked, looking at the others.

"I'm gonna take it as good news?" Sakura answered with an uncertain shrug.

* * *

_**Blüdhaven** _

_**June 19** _

The team and shinobi were circled around the TV, watching it anxiously.

"Secretary General Tseng has  _just_  completed an emergency session of the united nations," Cat Grant announced on the news broadcast. "Captain Atom has presented new evidence that proves that the Reach are not the benevolent friends that they have portrayed themselves to be; in fact, their goal seems to have been conquest, all along. After a unanimous vote, General Tseng officially retracted the invitation for the Reach to stay on our world and demanded that they leave at once." The teens burst into cheer over the news.

"We did it!" Jaime shouted in joy.

"Was there ever any doubt?" Bart laughed, kissing his cheek.

"It's about time!" Ino cheered.

"Alright!" Tenten shouted, giving Lee and high-five.

"We finally did it," Sakura smiled in awe.

"You don't look all that happy," Artemis noted quietly.

"Well, she does have more to worry about," Sasuke muttered, nodding to Hiroki, who was leaning against the wall, away from the crowd.

"Everyone calm down!" Nightwing shouted, bringing the celebration to a halt.

"We may have been able to our planet from the Reach, but we're not finished yet. Miss Martian, Superboy, I need you two to go to Rimbor with the collected evidence and free the Justice League," Kaldur ordered. "Once that is done, and they are back, then we can celebrate our victory."

"Can we at least celebrate the victory over the Reach for right now?" Kiba asked. Akamaru barked in agreement.

"You may," Kaldur agreed.


	20. Chapter 20

_**Blüdhaven** _

_**June 20** _

"While they were trying to play nice with you guys on the outside, they found the Hidden Villages and wasted no time trying to turn us into experiments. They figured out that we were 'hidden' for a reason and took advantage of that." Naruto announced, once the Team members had left. The only remaining people were Nightwing, Sakura, and Kaldur.

"Same with Suna," Gaara nodded.

"How come I haven't heard of this?" Sakura asked. "I was in Suna with Batgirl not that long ago and it was perfectly fine."

"It happened after Hiroki was captured and tortured by them," Naruto told her. "He told the Reach about the Hidden Villages. We tried to keep it inside our world, do some damage control and not have it escalate; you know how secretive we are, you're the same. It's in our nature to handle it our way."

"What did you do?" Nightwing asked.

"We disposed of them, plain and simple," Shino answered. "After we fought back, they ran."

"Although, some of us were captured and experimented on," Ino told her. "And they unlocked our meta-genes."

"I can actually turn into a wolf now," Kiba sighed, petting Akamaru. The dog whined and leaned into his touch. "And they almost killed Akamaru."

"I can now control people like puppets, without the use of chakra strings," Kankurō confessed "Though it seems more like I'm torturing them."

"Hanabi now has telepathy and telekinesis," Hinata told her.

"And there have even been normal citizens that were captured," Temari told her. "Not only were their meta-genes unlocked, but they were also force-fed chakra, it resulted in their death."

"The ANBU infiltrated the Reach ship and freed them, killing every Reach agent on board," Sai told them. "As is the ANBU way. And the shinobi that were killed during the experiments were disposed of properly as well. Kakashi and I oversaw that personally."

"And what of the information that the Reach managed to gather?" Sakura asked.

"I created a virus and wiped out any information they had that pertained to the hidden villages," Shikamaru answered.

"So not only has the Reach been manipulating the outside world, they have been infiltrating the Hidden Villages," Kaldur sighed. "And they did not tell the Light of their discoveries, so there were some meta-humans that remained un-manipulated by the Reach or Light after you expelled them from your villages."

"Well thank god for small miracles," Sakura muttered. "Who knows what could have happened if the Light had found out about the Hidden Villages."

"I guess we have a lot of work to do," Nightwing sighed.

"Because Konoha was destroyed during the war, so were the Zeta Beams," Naruto told them.

"Then the Zeta beams in other villages that connected Konoha to everyone had to be destroyed as well. Sasuke and the Akatsuki hacked into them and sent their forces to invade using them," Gaara added.

"Look I said I was sorry," Sasuke huffed. "How many times do I have to apologize for something I don't even remember?"

"As soon as you remember it again?" Tenten shrugged.

"What do you think the therapy and recovery sessions are for," the last Uchiha sighed.

"It's a good thing the master Zeta Beam was in Konoha," Sakura muttered. "Who knows what would have happened if they had access to the outside world."

"They might have actually cared about it if they had a shortcut," Shikamaru muttered.

"It was too much of a hassle to attack the outside world. It was so far away and wasn't really that important," Sasuke muttered. The room looked at him and Sasuke blinked, realizing what he said. "Oh come on! That's what I remember? Why not tell me why I defected in the fucking first place!"

"What happened to the civilians that gained meta-genes?" Kaldur asked. "And managed to survive being given chakra?"

"We've tried to train them, but it's not going over well," Naruto sighed. "Do you have any places that might help? Like what you did for those four runaway teens."

"No way in hell," Sakura growled. "I don't like how those scientists were treating them, no way am I going to subject anyone else to that."

"We can talk it over and come up with some plans and ideas on what to do when Batman, Superman and the others come back," Nightwing told them. "And with Superboy and Miss Martian on their way to clear them, they'll be back soon. All will return to normal."

"Or as normal as things can get for us," Kankurō chuckled.

"Good, I shall take the team and mount an attack on the Reach's ship in New York," Kaldur told them.

"We're going with you," Naruto announced.

"I appreciate the help, but this is matters of the outside world, you have already helped us enough," Kaldur said. "Besides, I do not believe your Hokage would be pleased if this was how you announced yourselves to the world."

"That would make you lose major points and probably push back your ceremony," Sakura hummed. Naruto flinched and scratched his cheek.

"Or, we could wait here until you get back," Naruto said nervously.

"Good choice," Nightwing chuckled.

"Then Sakura, Nightwing and I will go," Hiroki said.

"No, Nightwing, yes will be joining us. But I want Kunoichi to stay here and set up a med bay in case of emergency," Kaldur ordered. "I believe she has seen enough of the front line for now. Let us give her time to relax. Being thrown from one war to another is not good for a person's health."

"Thanks Kaldur," Sakura smiled.

"What about me?" Hiroki growled.

"Let him go," Sakura huffed, crossing his arms. "He proved useful at the summit. Just give him something to do."

"Alright, if you are sure," Kaldur said. "Hiroki, you are to come with us."

"Great, I get to see some more action," Hiroki said with a smirk.

* * *

"Kunoichi!" Nightwing shouted, entering the warehouse. The shinobi looked up in confusion.

"What's wrong? Is someone hurt?" Sakura asked, stepping forward.

"We need to get to the Watchtower now!" Nightwing told her. "Naruto, Gaara, you and your teams are to come as well."

"Nightwing, what's going on?" Sakura asked.

"The Reach are going to destroy the world."

* * *

_**Watchtower** _

"Natural disasters have escalated," Captain Atom announced. "The rest of the League is spread thin saving lives across the globe."

"So are my shinobi," Tsunade nodded.

"Mine as well," Gaara told them.

"And I've received word that all the kages have sent out forces to help," Temari announced.

"What about the hidden villages? Are they being attacked with these disasters?" Sasuke asked, looking at the screen.

"Yeah, in fact, the volcano holding our village's prison has erupted," Sakura told them. "And that shouldn't even be possible. The thing may still be bubbling, but it was declared dormant decades ago, when they first built the prison."

"Its' Black Beetle MFDs," Blue Beetle announced. "The Magnetic Field Disrupters are seeded in multiple locations across the Earth."

"How'd they get in the villages though?" Kankurō asked. "We made sure to get rid of any and all things Reach once we kicked them out."

"They have cloaking devices, I'm sure that the Watchtower couldn't have picked them up," Blue told them.

"What do these MFDs do? Or rather, how do they work?" Sakura asked.

"They're causing a deterioration of the Earth's magnetic fields, causing these not-so-natural disasters," Jaime answered. He turned away from the screen and a projector came out of his chest, showing an image of the globe. Several little icons showed up on the earth. "I can locate all the MFDs, but each is defended by beetle tech drones. The drones are programmed to run interference until the MFDs can build up enough power and go chrysalis and end the world."

"So, how do we shut them down?" Captain Atom asked.

"I don't know," Blue sighed.

"Why not?" Sasuke hissed. Sakura glared at him and smacked his chest. The Uchiha hissed and glared at her before muttering an apology.

"Because Black Beetle didn't know," Blue answered. "There's absolutely no failsafe. This was an endgame."

"What if Nightwing used his tech powers to search the Reach data thingy?" Naruto asked.

"You mean hack into the database?" Nightwing asked uncertainly. Naruto nodded. "I already tried that while we were on the ship after Blue Beetle absorbed this information from Black. I only got through a few layers before I was locked out. And even if I could get past it, what I glanced at, I couldn't understand it all."

"What if your beetle thing translates it?" Naruto asked, pointing at Jaime. The teen looked over his shoulder for a moment before nodding.

"Scarab says that it would be pointless," Jaime told them. "There's too much information and not enough time. Nightwing would have to hack it, then I'd have to search through everything and translate it until I found the needed information, and then we'd have to get to all the drones and somehow do whatever the hidden failsafe said."

"But it's the only plan we've got," Sai pointed out.

_Incoming transmission, from United Nations secretary General Tseng Dangoon_

A screen appeared, showing Lex Luthor, with Tseng in the background.

"Luthor!" Captain Atom hissed. "What are you doing?"

"Secretary Tseng was kind enough to let me borrow his frequency," Luthor sighed. "As I have a possible solution to our mutual problem.

"A problem created by you and Light when they collaborated to bring the Reach to Earth," Atom hissed.

"Perhaps," Luthor nodded. "But as you know, the light always planned to betray the Reach." He held up a flash drive. "Lex Corp has developed anti-Reach software, a virus that should destroy the magnetic field disruptors. Now, I believe time is of the essence."

* * *

_**Metropolis** _

The once lively and colorful streets of Superman's city were painted a dark gray and devoid of human activity. The team and several shinobi stood around a podium, where Captain Atom was addressing them.

"Every single magnetic field disrupter must be disabled before they go chrysalis to guarantee Earth's safety. Each MFD is guarded by two beetle drones, each of which is the equivalent of a beetle warrior. Blue Beetle has located 20 MFD's around the world within 'outside' territory," Captain Atom announced. "There are 40 of us gathered here so you'll be in squads of two."

"Blue Beetle has also detected 10 located within the Hidden Nations," Gaara announced.

"You will all be in three-man squads to take down a drone."

"Sakura, I know you're a hero of the outside world, but I would like for you to go with Sasuke and Naruto," Tsunade said. The pinkette nodded and stepped between her two teammates. "Sai, I want you to go with Lee and Tenten." The artist nodded and broke away from Team Kakashi, going over to Lee and Tenten.

"Just a few more should do it," Blue Beetle said, producing a blue egg like device. Lex took the egg and held it up.

"You will all be issued multiple Reach eggs containing my anti-Reach software," Luthor announced, inserting the flash drive into the top. "While one hero runs interferences with the beetle drones the other only had to physically touch his or her egg against the drone to disable," he said, tapping it against the cart before placing it down.

"You really think we can trust Luthor?" Wonder Girl whispered.

"It's his world to," Robin shrugged. "Pretty sure he doesn't want it reduced to space dust. Besides, we don't have much choice."

"Alright, we have your assignments," Captain Atom announced. "We'll distribute these eggs and go."

"Ladies and gentlemen, the fate of the world, is in your hands," Luthor told them.

"No pressure or anything," Naruto grumbled.

"Let's just go get our eggs," Sasuke sighed. Team 7 walked up to Luthor who handed them two eggs.

"Something about this seems familiar, but I'm thinking of collecting scrolls instead," Sasuke muttered.

"That would be the chunin exams," Naruto chuckled. "When this is over, I'll remind you all about it." The rest of the shinobi teams came over to them. Tsunade stepped up to them and the shinobi became quiet. They pulled their feet together and straightened their backs, looking professional.

"Alright, are you guys ready?" she asked.

"Yes ma'am," the group nodded in synch. They got a few stray glances from the heroes.

"Now I expect all of you to make it back here. And that is a direct order." Tsunade said.

"Yes ma'am," they repeated.

"This is going to be ranked as an S class mission, hell we might even create a new rank just for this thing," the blonde sighed, pressing a hand held button. A screen came up showing the regions where there were drones in the Hidden lands. A small screen branched off from each drone, showing which team would go where. "Do you have your assignments?" She asked. The shinobi saluted and responded as one.

"Yes ma'am!"

"I want you back here as soon as possible, and in one piece," Tsunade told them. "Scatter!" The ninjas jumped away, disappearing in the air.

"That's kinda creepy but cool at the same time," Impulse muttered.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to that," Nightwing muttered.

* * *

_**Konoha** _

_**June 20** _

"Report," Tsunade ordered.

"Team 7 has arrived at the site of the drone, but we can't see it," Sakura told her, placing a finger in her ear.

"Keep looking, it has to be there somewhere," Tsunade ordered.

"We had just gotten this place looking decent," Naruto sighed, looking at the rebuilding in progress.

"Hey, this place is going to continue being rebuilt," Sasuke told him. "And you'll be Hokage."

"Yeah, I'll even come to your ceremony," Sakura smiled.

"That'll be the best," Naruto smiled, jumping onto a roof. "I'm gonna be Hokage! And nothing can stop that! Not even the Reach!"

"Naruto! Look out!" Sakura shouted. The blond jumped out of the way just as a laser shot at him.

"I see it!" Sasuke shouted, his Sharingan spinning. He jumped into the air, pulling out his sword.

"But that's just one drone! Where's the other?" Sakura shouted, jumping onto a rooftop to look around. "Naruto!"

"On it!" He shouted, forming very familiar hand signs.

"Kage bushin no jutsu!" With puffs of smoke several Naruto clones appeared. "Find the drone and the MFD!" The clones nodded and ran off. Sakura back flipped as the drone shot as her. She flipped into a street way and ran through the unfinished street. A clone jumped beside her.

"Sakura, I've found the MFD," he announced.

"Take me to it," Sakura ordered. The clone nodded and jumped onto a roof. Sakura followed his lead and the two travelled towards the Hokage building. As they got closer the clone was shot, disappearing in a cloud of smoke. Another laser shot at her but Sasuke jumped in front of her, deflecting it with her sword.

"I know you hate being protected, especially with how strong you are, and I'm sorry, but we only have two eggs! And you're the one holding them!" Sasuke shouted, deflecting another shot.

"Just destroy them with chidori!" Sakura shouted.

"Here's the thing, I kinda don't remember how to use chidori," Sasuke confessed. "No memory, remember? I have to relearn everything and I haven't gotten to chidori yet. My rank is basically academy student!"

"I can't believe this!" Sakura mumbled.

"Hey, neither can I," Sasuke told her. The two jumped forward and Sasuke sliced at the drone, pushing it away from the MFD. Sakura ran past him and took out the egg, slamming it onto the MFD. The sphere of energy disappeared and it fell to the ground, useless.

"Rasengan!" Naruto shouted, destroying his drone. Sasuke took one final slash and his fell to the ground in two pieces.

"Team 7 has taken care of the drones and the MFD in Konoha," Naruto announced, appearing next to them.

"Great, report back," Tsunade ordered.

"Milady, can I ask about someone?" Sakura requested.

"Nightwing and B'arzz O'oomm just reported in a minute ago, they've defeated their MFD," Tsunade told her.

"No, I know that, he's a bat, of course he's fine," Sakura smirked. "Asami, I'm worried about her."

"Let me check," Tsunade told her. The line was silent for a moment before Tsunade came back on. "Asami has hit the MFD with the egg and succeeded in bringing it down."

"I knew she could do it," Sakura smiled. The three took off running towards the zeta tube.

"This is Team Gai reporting in-!"

"We're team 9 Lee!" Tenten shouted over the com, cutting off the young Green Beast.

"We have rendered the MFD in the Land of Snow useless," Sai announced. "Oh and Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, some woman name Koyuki says hello."

"Awesome! Tell the princess we said hi back!" Naruto laughed.

"Let's get back to Watchtower," Sakura smiled.

"Way to go guys!" Carr congratulated. "30 MFDs deployed, and 30 MFDs destroyed! We did it!"

"Alright! So now can we celebrate?" Kiba huffed.

"You just want to get drunk, don't you?" Shino sighed.

"No! I just want to have fun!" Kiba protested.

"We missed one," Atom announced. "The Earth's magnetic field is still being disrupted."

"Blue Beetle to Watchtower I'm reading a 31st MFD," Blue announced. "It's in the Arctic, hidden from my first scans by the earth's north magnetic pole."

"Are you sure that it's just in the north? Because the south also has a magnetic pull," Sakura told him.

"I've scanned five times since discovering the 31st, and that is the only one remaining, I'm positive," Blue Beetle told her. "I'm sending coordinates."

"There are no zeta tubes in the Arctic, how are we supposed to get there?" Carr asked.

"Don't worry guys, I've got this," Flash told them. The three continued in silence, running through the tree tops. "Flash to Watchtower. The drone has gone chrysalis. I'm not sure if the egg-!"

"The egg is useless now," Luthor told him. "You're too late." Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke looked at each other in shock as they landed in front of a tree. Sakura stood in front of it and a red scanner came out, scanning her body.

"What do we do now?" Flash asked.

The tree opened up and Sasuke stepped inside first.

"Now you run," Luthor answered.

_Recognized Sasuke Uchiha_

The tree closed and opened once again, Sasuke gone. Naruto stepped inside next and nodded to Sakura.

"Hey! I'm no quitter! There's gotta be-!"

"I never said run  _away_ ," Luthor told him.

_Recognized Naruto Uzumaki_

The tree closed once more before opening and Sakura stepped inside. The inside of the tree was hollow and mechanic. She stood in front of a screen and was scanned.

"I said  _run_ ," Luthor spoke.

_Recognized Kunoichi_

With a flash of light Sakura ended up in the Watchtower.

"Together, you and Impulse should be able to negate the chrysalis by running counter against its energy flow," Lex clarified. Sakura stepped out of the Zeta beam and ran over to her teammates, standing between them and Nightwing.

"Is it really that simple?" Flash asked.

"I wouldn't call it 'simple'," Atom said. "You'd be attempting to siphon its power with your own speed trails. You'd need a  _massive_ amount of kinetic energy."

"Do you think it will be enough?" Artemis asked her boyfriend.

_Recognized Kid Flash_

Artemis looked at the zeta tube with a frown.

"Not matter what,  _don't slow down_  until the chrysalis is completely neutralized," Atom ordered.

"Got it," Flash said.

"Let's get to the bio-ship," Nightwing ordered.

* * *

_**North Pole** _

The bioship flew close to the chrysalis funnel and it opened up, allowing the team members to jump out.

"Look! It's working!" Nightwing shouted, pointing at the funnel. "They're shutting it down!"

"Come on you guys!" Naruto shouted. "You can do it!"

"Yes!" Jaime exclaimed. "What problem?" he asked.

"Jaime, what's wrong?" Sakura asked. Blue Beetle looked over his shoulder in disbelief, a look of worry crossing his golden stained eyes.

"Cease what?" Blue shouted over his shoulder.

"Jaime, what's wrong?" Sakura repeated.

"Scarab says that Wally's slower speed is making him an exit valve for the chrysalis energy. He says that in sixteen seconds Wally will cease," Blue Beetle announced.

"Cease what?" Artemis asked.

"I don't know," Jaime said with guilt. Sakura narrowed her eyes and turned towards the boys, running towards them.

"What are you doing?" Nightwing shouted.

"Wally!" She shouted, grabbing the redhead's attention. The speedster didn't stop running and Sakura noticed that his form was beginning to flicker. "Take the pill I gave you!" she shouted.

"Alright!" he shouted as he passed her. He reached into his gauntlet and took out a small yellow pill. He shoved it in his mouth and swallowed it, gagging at the taste. Sakura shrieked as lightning from the chrysalis shot at her, sending her flying. Sasuke jumped into the air and grabbed her, landing in the snow. He set her down, allowing her to stand.

"Sakura! Are you alright?" Nightwing asked.

"Fine," the pinkette grunted. "But I'm more worried about Wally." They turned towards the chrysalis to see a cloud of dust pick up as the funnel shrunk and disappeared.

"They did it!" M'gann shouted. They ran over to the two speedsters that were lying on the snow covered ground panting. "It's over!" the Martian cheered, helping Impulse to stand.

"Congratulations, you saved us all," Kaldur smiled, helping Flash stand.

"Why is Wally still running?" Artemis asked, looking at her speedster boyfriend, who was still running in circles.

"It's a side effect of the pill he took, but don't worry he'll be fine," Sakura assured her, stepping towards Wally. "Wally, I need you to listen to me very carefully!"

"I'm listening!" He shouted as he ran past her.

"You need to decrease your speed very gradually," Sakura told him. "You need to burn off all the excess energy running through your body."

"Alright, seems easy enough," Wally agreed as he continued running.

"Wally, this is very important, if your speed decreases too much at once, your heart may stop," Sakura told him. "But if you pick up any speed the same could happen. Your heart is beating too much, you have too much energy. I need you to decrease your speed by one mile when I tell you to."

"I'm gonna be out here for hours!" Wally shouted in protest.

"Do you want to die or do you want to live?" the pinkette shouted.

"Alright alright," Wally huffed, continuing to run. Sakura turned back to the team.

"I need you to go back to the watchtower and give me something that will monitor his speed, as well as a tank of oxygen. He's going to need it when he stops," Sakura told them.

"We can go and get it," Flash offered.

"No, you've already used too much energy," Sakura protested.

"I'll go," M'gann offered, flying over to her bioship. "Do you want me to get anything for you?"

"No, I have my soldier pills," Sakura told her.

"Actually, I'm going to stay here, so could you grab a blanket and some food?" Artemis asked. M'gann nodded and flew back to the bioship, Superboy following her.

"What did you give him?" Nightwing asked.

"Pretty crash huh?" Impulse smiled. "It's something we've been working on!"

"Shinobi have pills for everything, replenishing chakra, health, giving us more strength, increasing our mental capability, create a chakra barrier for defense, but nothing for speed," Sakura explained. "Even during the war I've been working with some developers to create speed pills to help us. It didn't work. But when I came back here I had more materials, and Impulse offered to help me by being a guinea pig. Once we had gotten them as perfect as possible, I tried them but they didn't work on me."

"Yeah! By using me as a test subject she created pills for speedsters, not shinobi!" Bart bragged. "The only downside was what's happening to Wally right now, but I'm sure with more time Sakura would be able to perfect it."

"You saved Wally's life," Artemis whispered. "Thank you!" She grabbed Sakura, hugging her.

"Yeah! Thanks!" Bart smiled, hugging her as well.

"We really can't thank you enough," Flash smiled.

"Don't thank me yet," Sakura told him. "We're still not out of the woods. The next few hours are crucial."

* * *

_**Mount Justice** _

Green Lantern's ship landed outside of the cave and the Leaguers stood in shock over the large pile of rubble.

"Are we…too late?" Superman asked. Batman placed a hand on his shoulder and looked into the sky, where they could see the Team flying towards them.

"Aqualad, what happened?" Batman demanded once the Super Cycle had landed.

"Fear not, the crisis has passed," Aqualad assured him.

"Where are Kunoichi and Nightwing?" Batman asked.

"They are in the north pole with Kid Flash, Impulse, Flash, and Artemis," Batgirl told him. "Naruto, Sasuke, and Hiroki are with them as well."

"What happened in the North Pole?" Superman asked.

"It's a long story," Blue Beetle told him.

"Then tell us," Batman ordered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...So...do you guys love me? I'm going to tell you a little something. I honestly had no clue on whether or not I was going to have Wally live or die. But I knew that if he did live, there would have to be some major hint early, which there was. Sakura mentioned working on an experiment with Bart. And that was the experiment I'm surprised no one was interested in what the experiment was when it was mentioned. I'm a little disappointed. But, oh well. WALLY LIVES!!!


	21. Epilogue

_**Watchtower** _

_**July 4** _

"I seriously can't thank you enough," Wally smiled as he, Artemis, and Sakura walked through the halls of the Watchtower.

"Seriously, no thanks needed. I didn't even know you would need it," Sakura chuckled.

"Still, when did you give him the speed boost pill?" Artemis asked.

"It was before the summit, when we were gearing up," Sakura answered. "Sorry Wally, but compared to Bart and Barry, you're a little slow, I thought you'd need it at some point, maybe even during the fight at the summit."

"Good thing I decided to only use it in life or death emergency," Wally chuckled.

"Please, you forgot about it!" Sakura scoffed. "You would have ceased to exist if I hadn't of reminded you that I gave you the pill."

"Yeah, probably," Wally shrugged.

"Probably?" Artemis scoffed. "More like definitely!"

"Arty!" Wally whined.

"Well well well," Sakura hummed. The other two turned around, seeing Bart wearing the Kid Flash uniform. Standing next to him was Jaime.

"Guys!" Bart gasped, seeing them.

"I knew you would look good in yellow and red," Wally smiled, walking up to his cousin. Bart laughed and ran into his cousin, giving him a hug.

"Thank you so much! I promise not to let you down!" Bart smiled.

"Sakura-chan!" Asami cheered, running up to the pinkette and hugging her.

"Speaking of, check out my new protégé!" Sakura giggled, hugging her back. "Isn't she adorable?"

"What about the others? Are they going to join the team as well?" Jaime asked.

"Virgil yes," Asami nodded. "Ed and Tye, no. Arsenal solo."

"They said they were getting out of the game. Newt went back to his foster family, Ed went to live with his dad. Tye even moved back home. His mom's boyfriend is gone," Sakura smiled.

"That's a relief," Jaime sighed.

"Asami was going to decline as well, but she asked if she could be my 'sidekick' and I said no. Protégé fit better," Sakura smiled. "She's also staying at her boyfriend Tye's house." The pinkette teased. Asami's cheeks turned pink and she glanced away in embarrassment.

"You and Tye? Congrats," Jaime told her.

"Cool," Artemis smiled.

"Artemis, are you still going to be a hero?" Bart asked.

"Yeah, but I'm going to change," Artemis nodded. "Artemis was Wally's partner, and sorry kid, but you're not Wally. Let's see how Tigress does."

"As a good guy?" Bart asked.

"As a blonde," the archer laughed.

"Hey guys, can I speak to Sakura for a moment?" Nightwing asked, coming up behind them and wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

"Take all the time you need," Wally said with a sly smile. The group walked away but hid around the corner, watching them.

"Is he going to do it now?" Bart asked.

"Hopefully," Wally nodded.

"Do what?" Jaime asked.

"Just watch," Artemis smiled.

* * *

"They're watching us," Sakura laughed quietly.

"Yeah I know," Nightwing smiled, pulling her in for a kiss. "So, did you hear about Cassie and Tim?"

"A couple now, yeah," Sakura nodded. "Good for them."

"They won't be the only couple around here," Nightwing laughed, pulling her in for a kiss.

"Should we give them a run for their money?" Sakura hummed, wrapping her arms around her chest.

"I think so," Nightwing nodded. "Speaking of which, I have something for you." He reached into a hidden pocket and pulled out a small box. Sakura raised an eyebrow and opened the box, gasping at what was inside.

"I told you so," Nightwing smirked. "The Reach is off world, we're all safe, and after watching you, Hiroki has decided that this is where you truly belong. He's going to go back to Konoha and help those that were taken by the Reach and help them with their powers, as well as annul the contract." Sakura placed a hand over her mouth and could feel tears spring into her eyes. "So I guess I have just one thing to say. Do you wanna marry me?" Sakura looked up at him and nodded, not able to find her voice. Nightwing took the box from her hands and took out the small diamond ring. He slid it on her fingers and smiled. "You know that ring belong to my mom, so you better take good care of it." Sakura smiled and grabbed his face, pulling him in for a kiss.

"I'll take the best possible care for it!" she gasped, pulling him in for another kiss. Behind them the hidden teens cheered. Sakura laughed and turned towards Artemis and Asami who ran towards her.

"You said yes!" Asami gasped, hugging her.

"Was there ever any doubt?" Artemis laughed, hugging her as well. Sakura laughed and hugged them back.

"This is so crash!" Bart cheered, jumping for joy. "We saved the world and now there's going to be a hero wedding to look forward to!"

"Calm down hermano, it's just a wedding," Jaime laughed. "Besides, didn't you already know they were going to get married?"

"Yeah, but I changed history! We almost lost Wally, I saved grandpa, and the Reach are off world, so there's no Reach apocalypse! I didn't know if the marriage was still going to happen or not!" Impulse told him.

"There are some things that are just meant to be," Wally smiled, patting Nightwing's back.

* * *

"Now is not the time for you two to resign, there is much to be done," Aqualad protested.

"We never said we were resigning," Sakura smiled.

"Yeah, just taking a break," Nightwing smiled. "Besides, if you need help, Barbara is more than ready to step up."

"Agreed, but Dick, Sakura," Aqualad started.

"Can we tell you why we're taking a break?" Sakura chuckled. Aqualad sighed and nodded. "We've gotten engaged," Nightwing smiled, wrapping a hand around Sakura's waist. Sakura held out her hand and giggled, wiggling her ring finger. Aqualad's eyes shot up in surprise.

"But the contract-!"

"Is nothing to worry about," Sakura answered. "Hiroki finally realized that my place was here. He could tell that I was more at ease here in the outside world with you guys than I was in Konoha. So he has decided to return to the village and officially annul the contract. We need to take a break so we can prepare and plan."

"Then congratulations," Aqualad nodded. "I wish you both the best of luck preparing."

"Thanks Kaldur," Nightwing smiled.

"Wanna go tell Batman?" Sakura smirked, pointing to the bat dressed man. Batman noticed that she was pointing at him and looked at her suspiciously.

"I'm in," Nightwing smiled leading her over to him.

"Hey guys," Sakura greeted. "What's wrong with Superman?" She looked over at the Kryptonian who looked like he was trying to refrain from punching something.

"General Tseng has resigned and Lex Luthor is going to take his place," Black Canary answered. "And with that, Captain Atom turned over his chairmanship of the League to me."

"Ouch," the pinkette winced.

"Yeah," the blonde huffed, glaring at Captain Atom, who looked kinda nervous.

"So what's up?" Superman asked, still looking a bit angry.

"Do you want to tell them, or should I?" Nightwing asked.

"Hey, I have to tell Lady Tsunade and a whole village, the least you could do is tell the League," Sakura smirked.

"Fair enough," Nightwing agreed. "Sakura and I are taking a break from the team."

"Why?" Batman demanded.

"We're engaged," Nightwing answered.

"You're getting married?" Black Canary gasped.

"Yep, happened like an hour ago," Nightwing nodded.

"Well then, good luck to the both of you," Batman nodded.

"Thanks," Nightwing smiled.

* * *

Sakura and Dick stood a ways away from the Team and the Justice League.

"Having stopped the Reach invasion and broken the Light in half, the team will now operate out of the Watchtower, side-by-side with the League," Batman announced. "Not because Mount Justice has been destroyed, but because you've earned it."

"And so, we'll leave you guys to it," Black Canary smiled. The Leaguers walked away, leaving the Team to themselves.

"This team has had successes but much remains to be done," Aqualad announced, turning to them. Batgirl stepped beside him, taking her place as second in command. "Superboy, Miss Martian, Beast Boy, you're Alpha. B'arzz O'oomm has called from Mars, he needs help. Tigress, Kid Flash, Bumblebee, Guardian, you're Beta. Lex Corp is bringing out the Reach soft drink under a new name, we need proof."

"Business as usual," Nightwing smiled.

"Come on, we need to go to Konoha and make our announcement," Sakura smiled. They turned away and headed towards the zeta beams.

"The rest of you are Gamma," Aqualad continued. "You'll investigate Batgirl's lead on Vandal Savage's next move."

_Recognized Nightwing_

_Recognized Kunoichi_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **And that's it. Kunoichi's journey is done. But, this won't be the end of this, no way! You'll get to see just how Kunoichi came to be. A three-quel prequel is currently in the works, so look forward to it.**


End file.
